By Amos Igbebe
Suspended Chairman of Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, Henry Baro, has denied allegations that his office as Chairman spent N30m out of N45.9m that was allocated to the local government in the month of March, 2015 prior to his suspension in June this year.
The allegation was read before him by Chairman of the Delta State House of Assembly investigating committee, Hon Anthony Elekeokwuri, representing Ika North East State Constituency, during cross examination with the aim of resolving the issues surrounding his suspension and possible recall to office.
Hon. Elekeokwuri, who was stunned at the figure in the document before the committee, said it was baffling that only the Chairman’s office could consume N30m at the detriment of the entire staff of the local government council.
The Committee Chairman also revealed that for the seven months the suspended local government chairman was in office prior to his suspension, he spent N26m on stationaries and consumables for the office of the council chairman.
But Baro, who was suspended in June by the State House of Assembly over allegations of financial impropriety and breach of security in the council area, denied the allegations saying the allegation was spurious and unfounded, insisting that it was impossible for the office of the Chairman to spend such amount leaving workers with meager N15.9m for salaries and other administrative matters.
He said the council workers would resist such move as the cheque for the collection of the money pass through the office of the Head of Personnel Management and the Treasurer of the local government, hence he noted that the workers would resist it even with the last drop of their blood.
Baro, who told the five man committee that his official impress was N450,000 monthly and N8m as security vote for the council, said to verify the claim in the document before the committee members, he suggested printing the bank statement indicating all monetary transactions for the period prior to his suspension from office.
He also said the allegation of N26m for stationaries was not true but added that prior to his resumption as council chairman on October 27 2014, there were various debts incurred by the previous caretaker committee administration that were not paid for, hence it was when they were paid for that they entered the book of records.
Following his denial of the allegations, the committee Chairman gave him Thursday to return to the House in company of the council Treasurer, the Acting Chairman, the Head of Personnel Management for proper scrutiny while the committee turned down his request for letter to grant him access to the chairman’s office to access files as the committee said any document not in his possession, the accompanying officers would answer for them.
