Governor Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State has warned the newly sworn-in Speaker and his members against inadvertently creating autonomy.
The governor urged continued cooperation with the state government.
Eno insisted that no government department could operate in isolation and urged chairmen to embrace synergy.
He said this during the swearing-in of council executives at the Government House Banquet Hall in Uyo on Monday.
Eno said: “You can now act autonomously in your financial transactions, which means you will receive funds directly. But remember, we share responsibility. We will continue to work with you to ensure good governance for our employees, including how we pay teachers overall and how we provide them with benefits and tips. That’s what they expect from us.
“We expect people to sit down and understand our common commitment to our people. There is really no autonomy in governance. We all need to make sure our people get what they need. We must make sure that we are able to do so.
“Let me add here that self-governance does not mean running an entity separate from the state government. We hope to align this with our governance blueprint, the ARISE Agenda.”
Addressing the only opposition chair, the governor said: “Your election today and your subsequent oath-taking means that the process was fair. Therefore, I urge you all to imbibe our spirit and lead the state government. We are expected to work with you to ensure that the dividends of democracy reach the people. There is no APC or PDP in governance. Let us see you as the Chairman of Essien Udim, not the Chairman of the APC. That is my advice to you.”
