Makurdi — Federal government has been advised against publishing monthly allocations to the third tier of government without indicating the accompanying volume of statutory deductions.

The care-taker committee chairman of Guma local government, Benue State Mr. John Enger, gave the advice while speaking to newsmen in Makurdi.

Enger said such a practice puts council chairmen under undue pressures as "people, being unaware of statutory deductions to agencies such as the Universal Basic Education (UBE) boards, choke them with too many demands, both genuine and frivolous."

He, therefore, advised the Federal Ministry of Finance to stop the publication of the gross figures of allocations to the councils, adding that "if the ministry is bent on making the gross figures public, let the slatutory deductions be reflected alongside them."

He lamented the weak constitutional authority of lacal governments in the country, saying it needlessly place council chairmen at the mercies of state governors.

He, however, commended Governor George Akume for not strangulating local governments in the state with arbitrary deductions, thus enabling chairmen to embark on pressing developmental projects.

His words: "We council chairmen in the state are delighted that our able governor, His Excellency, Dr. George Akume, is different. We hear about how some governors sieze council allocations, giving chairmen only a pittance to pay staff salaries. But here in the state, we are given our allocations intact so that we can initiate, execute and commission people-oriented projects for the good of our people."

He thanked the people of Guma local government area for their support to his administration and promised to sustain his policy of seeking their imput in all developmental initiatives.