The Senate, on Wednesday, accused State governors of misappropriating funds allocated to Local Government Councils in Nigeria. It claimed that Area Council chairmen are usually compelled to sign off cheques by State governors, who in turn allocate peanuts to them.
This is coming, even as the Senate has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately stop the allocation of funds to any State that operates caretaker committee-led Local Government Areas.
“Local Governments are dead in Nigeria. Governors misappropriate local government funds. They force these local government chairmen to sign off cheques and they give them meagre amounts as running costs. There are some governors who are different and we thank them for doing that,” Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin Barau who presided during Wednesday’s plenary said.
The resolutions reached by the Senate further urged President Tinubu to “Champion the cause of full autonomy for local governments in our nation as the Senate are set to amend relevant sections of the Constitution which will empower INEC to conduct Local government elections henceforth.
“Also champion changes to the Constitution that enshrine and guarantee genuine independence for local governments, granting them control over their resources, decision-making authority, and the power to chart their development paths.
“Call on the President, Commander–in–Chief of the Armed Forces to resuscitate Local Government System in Nigeria.”
