Ben Eguzozie

Civil society organisations (CSOs) are demanding disclosures of ecological fund allocations by all the 18 local government councils in Cross River, raising doubts of worrisome level of lack of transparency and accountability among the LGC chairmen on the use of the funds.

In particular, Odey Oyama, director of the Rainforest Resource and Development Centre (RRDC) has, over the past few months, written to the chairman of Ikom Local Government Area, Mercy Nsor, requesting transparent accountability of funds received from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and other sources in the last one year in office, running in excess of N3.7 billion.

The RRDC also wants the LG council boss to undertake full disclosure of Ecological Fund allocations, projects, utilisation, and expenditure, pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, 2021.

“Regrettably, we have yet to receive a response (from the Ikom LGA chairperson,” Oyama said in a note to Business A.M.

According to the CSOs, considering that similar concerns regarding financial transparency are occurring across all 18 local government areas in Cross River State, it has become pertinent for the civil society organisations to come together to address these issues collectively.

The CSOs are holding a stakeholders’ meeting to discuss strategies, share experiences, and explore collaborative actions to promote accountability and transparency in local governance in the state.

According to Oyama, whose RRDC is convening the CEOs stakeholders’ meeting, “contributions (by the various CSOs) will be invaluable in strengthening the coalition of civil society actors committed to ensuring transparent, accountable, and responsible governance at the Local Government level”.