COM. BARR. FRANKLIN AJINWO, ADMINISTRATOR OF EMOHUA LGA
In what was an account of stewardship since he assumed office as Administrator of Emohua Local Government Area,Comrade Barr. Franklin Ajinwo has explained what he has been doing since Friday,April 11th,2025 and how he met a situation where,each month,the sum of #250 million is deducted at source by the council’s bank to service a debt supposedly owed to contractors by the council (Emohua LGA).
According to the Emohua LGA Administrator,”the immediate past chairman of this LGA,Chief David Omereji,signed a document called ‘Instrument of Standing Payment Order(ISPO)’,which authorized the council’s bankers to deduct the sum of two hundred and fifty million naira(#250,000,000.00) monthly from the council’s monthly allocation for the running payment for contracts being awarded by Chief Omereji and this is running since September 2024″.The ISPO was allegedly signed in February 2025 and,,to date,the sum of #750 million(February,March & April,2025) has been deducted from the allocations of Emohua LGA,since Omereji left office,even though he was not the person who was on ground for the salaries of the council staff from February till date.By Ajinwo’s revelation,this monthly deduction was planned to run till February 2026 and that was unacceptable because “there would be nothing left for the present administration to plan and execute vital programmes and projects for the good people of Emohua LGA.”
To avoid too many conflicts, the Emohua Administrator informed that he initiated discussions with the contractors, telling them that council could only carry #100 million monthly without cancelling the contracts,but the contractors rather chose to institute a legal action to force the council into bankruptcy,a situation where the council might not be able to meet up its obligations,such as the payment of the monthly salaries and allowances of its staff and inability to execute primary healthcare responsibilities.
On what his administration has done on security,Ajinwo disclosed how he mobilized all the security agencies in the LGA,in addition to the EMOLGA OSPAC,Chiefs and Community Development Committees of all the communities in the area to realize the need to keep the peace and facilitate sustainable development in all facets of life.
Barr.Ajinwo stated,on Wednesday,June 4th,2025 how the council management,under his guidance, collaborated with all the security agencies in the area,in active partnership with OSPAC to bring back peace to Rumuewhor and Rumuekpe communities,noting that all the stakeholders are aware that government would not consider any trouble-infested community for any project or meaningful programme whenever the Rivers State Sole Administrator approves the council’s proposed projects.
Health and education of the people, especially at the primary level are giving utmost attention,while the welfare of staff,the engine of government, remains top on the agenda,pointing out that “my staff (above 1000) and the people at the grassroots are my main interests because local government administration was established to bring governance nearest to the people.I can assure you that,at the end of my time here,my people will have great stories to talk about.I live among them,not in hotels,from where I will bring bloated bills for council to offset”.
Finally,Ajinwo noted how he came in and immediately paid all the outstanding salaries of EMOLGA staff,in addition to prompt implementation of the new salary structure of medical workers in the council”.
