LG councils should run independently of state govts-BKO

A visibly miffed president, Muhammadu Buhari blasted state governors, accusing them of stealing local government funds.

An enraged number one citizen told his audience at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, NIPSS at the presidential villa in Abuja on Thursday.

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Buhari said “It beats anyone’s imagination how some governors collected money on behalf of the council areas in their states, only to remit just one half of such allocation to the council chairman, who would further deplete the remittance by pilfering”

Reacting to the statement, Rivers state Governor, Nyesom Wike, said “I want to challenge Mr. President, Mr. President you are a leader and we believe as leaders you must come out and tell Nigerians, who are those committing this offence? You said the governors are taking local government funds, I want to say in the name of Almighty God I have never touched local government funds one day, I have never and I have no reason to do that.

“So Mr. President, tell us who are those people? You know them, tell us. It is not good to say what you call class defamation, you say, governors, please I am not one of those governors, so Mr. President please spare me, tell Nigerians that the Integrity governors are not part of them, we have integrity, we are not part of them and do us a favour and announce all those states that are taking local government money. I have never, since 2015 till now, and I have no reason, and I will not have any reason,” Gov Wike said.

In his reaction, Veteran Journalist, Babajide Otitoju stated that things like this have been going on for so long.

“The president was frustrated in coming out to say this.

“Sometime ago, he also looked at these governors and said he wonders how these governors go to bed knowing that they are owing people salaries for upward of six to seven months. The president said he was wondering how they manage to go to bed, because it should nettle you sufficiently that your subjects, you are unable to pay their salary, It should withdraw your own sleep, so the president is right.

“Long after this president is gone, some of these issues that he tried on his own to solve, coming up with the executive order to try to solve this problem, the people abusing him are not half as good as he is.

“Buhari is someone who cares about the poor people and he doesn’t like to see them suffer. He may not have solved all these problems but he tried.

BKO noted that governors using the state assemblies that they have family in their pockets, have ensured that we do not have autonomy for local councils.

“We are in an age in which a governor will sit somewhere and decide who will be speaker in the state. Meanwhile, the three organs of government are supposed to be dependent on each other.

“When we are talking of restructuring, these are part of what we need to see. The governors should stay in their lane and let the councils run at their own pace independently of state government.

Speaking further, Publisher, Metro Star, Emeka Madunagwu said local government administration has been a major issue since independence, even during the military there were times at reforming the local government.

He added that a clear separation is needed but the governors are afraid that if the councils stand on their own that means they have lost control of the local governments

“If they were managing the councils and not looting local government monies, they might simply claim that the states should continue to control local government. However, you will discover that state governments are the ones dismantling local government”.