By Emmanuel Achilihu
There is a reason why the promise by the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abia State, Eric Opah, to ensure effective utilisation of funds accruing to the 17 Local Government Areas should excite every Abian who genuinely desires development.
It is because for years, we have been deceived into believing that development can only come from Umuahia. We have watched huge allocations meant for the grassroots disappear into a system that neither empowers the local governments nor improves the lives of the rural people.
Opah has simply said what many have been afraid to say: Abia cannot develop if its local governments remain dead.
Local government is the closest government to the people. It is the chairman that knows which village road is impassable during the rains. It is the councillor that knows which primary school has no roof, which health centre has no drugs, which community has no water. When you kill that tier, you kill governance at its root.
Yet, what have we seen in Abia? Local governments reduced to mere salary-paying centres. Allocations come, salaries are paid, and nothing else happens. No rural roads. No health centres. No markets. No youth empowerment. Communities are left to fend for themselves while billions pass through the system.
That is why Opah’s promise matters. It is not just about money; it is about accountability. It is about ensuring that every kobo meant for the grassroots is used for the grassroots. It is about transparency, monitoring, and an end to the era where local government funds are diverted for other purposes.
Some may ask: Is this promise achievable? The answer is yes, if there is political will. What Abia needs is not more money, but a governor who will allow local governments to work, who will demand accountability, and who will punish waste and corruption.
Imagine what Abia would look like if all 17 local governments were functional. Imagine rural roads graded and maintained regularly. Imagine primary healthcare centres stocked and staffed. Imagine primary schools renovated and equipped. Imagine clean water in every community. Imagine markets built to boost local trade. That is the Abia Opah is talking about.
Critics will say politicians always make promises during campaigns. That is true. But we must judge promises by their logic and their necessity. Opah’s promise is logical because no state can develop when its foundation is weak. It is necessary because Abia’s rural communities have suffered for too long.
The real question is not whether Opah can do it, but whether Abians are ready to demand it. We must hold whoever becomes governor accountable for local government funds. We must insist that allocations to LGAs must translate to roads, schools, health centres and jobs, not just press statements.
If Opah keeps this promise, he would have done what many governors before him failed to do: return governance to the people.
And that is why this promise deserves our attention, our scrutiny, and our support. Because when local governments work, Abia works.
Emmanuel Achilihu writes from Amade.
Opah Is Right: Abia’s Future Lies In Functional Local Governments
