Imo council boss demands accountability

• N16m constituency funds disbursed

The Chairman of Ideato South Local Government Area of Imo State, Chief Okwara Okechukwu, has urged councillors in the area to ensure the timely and high-quality execution of constituency projects in their wards.

He gave the directive while responding to inquiries on the status of rural development projects undertaken by his administration.

The chairman disclosed that between December 2025 and April 2026, his administration disbursed N5.9 million to each councillor for the execution of ward-based projects.

Providing a breakdown, he explained that N2 million was released in December 2025 for road grading interventions, while an additional N4 million was disbursed in two instalments between February and April 2026 for local government constituency projects.

He clarified that the funds were separate from the N10 million constituency project allowance—of which N5 million was released as the first batch—earlier approved for councillors across the state by Imo State Government in the last quarter of 2025.

Okwara said although the total approved constituency allowance per councillor from the local government stood at N5 million, his administration released 90 per cent of the sum upfront, deliberately withholding N1 million.

“The release of the outstanding N1 million balance to each councillor will be strictly based on performance, as captured in the official report of the Assessment Committee,” he said.

According to him, the committee has been mandated to inspect, verify and assess the level of project implementation in each ward.

“This is Operation Show Your Ward Constituency Project. We must entrench accountability and ensure  funds appropriated for rural development translate into visible impact for our people,” Okwara stated.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment to transparency, grassroots development and value for money, stressing that elected officials must justify the confidence reposed in them by the electorate.