The Executive Chairman of Yakurr Local Government Area and Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) in Cross River state, Yibala Igri Inyang, has dismissed recent criticism of LGA chairmen by a senior media aide to Governor Bassey Otu, warning that sweeping allegations circulated on social media are unfair, misleading, and damaging to governance NEGROIDHAVEN can report.
In an interview with NEGROIDHAVEN, Inyang said the anonymous aide’s viral commentary—which accused LGA chairmen of incompetence, absentee leadership, corruption, and disconnect from the grassroots—amounts to a “generalization that is not rooted in fact” and fails to reflect the work being done across councils.
“Chairmen have done a lot of projects—some more than their predecessors did in three years. We’ve done almost ten projects in one year in Yakurr, across nine of our thirteen wards. So, it is wrong for anyone to just go to the media and generalize,” he stated.
Inyang argued that many chairmen are performing creditably despite operational constraints and the legal limitations of the Joint Account system that governs LGA finances in the state.
He said the aide should have consulted the affected chairmen before making such public assertions, describing the comments as potentially inciting and demoralising.
“We are all in the same government. It is not proper to wash our linen openly,” he warned, adding that public criticism without verification could undermine the governor’s People First agenda.
Responding to allegations that some chairmen run their councils from Calabar or Abuja and fail to renovate dilapidated council headquarters, Inyang insisted that several councils—including Yakurr—have already completed renovations in line with the administration’s vision.
He also dismissed claims of mismanagement of internally generated revenue, saying most chairmen operate transparently and remain connected to community needs.
On crises involving suspended chairmen or disputes with councillors, the ALGON chair described such tensions as normal in a democracy.
“No system is perfect. Chairmen are human beings; some are new and still learning. When you correct people—you don’t condemn them entirely,” he said.
Reacting to calls for sanctions against certain chairmen, he maintained that ALGON would abide by the decisions of party stakeholders and the state government.
Meanwhile, the said governor’s aide had, in a widely circulated thread, accused LGA chairmen of turning councils into “family empires,” hoarding internally generated revenue, neglecting service delivery, and seeking “bogus awards” in Abuja despite claiming to have no funds to work.
The aide argued that while Governor Otu has been delivering “steady and intentional improvements,” LGA chairmen have failed to complement his efforts at the grassroots.
The exchange has sparked fresh public debate about the effectiveness of local government leadership and the level of accountability within the third tier of government.
