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 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, it urged President Tinubu to “Champion the cause of full autonomy for local governments in our nation. The challenges we face – persistent security threats, Rural-Urban Migration, decaying infrastructure, and widespread unemployment – demand bold action, and we believe that empowering local governments holds the key to unlocking a brighter future for all Nigerians

“Convene a national dialogue involving governors, state legislators, local government officials, civil society organizations, and community leaders to discuss the roadmap towards achieving full local government autonomy.

“Use his leadership and influence to persuade the federating units and all critical stakeholders in the constitutional alteration processes and administrative bottlenecks to embrace the vision of full local government autonomy.

“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

“Urge federal agencies to fully comply with existing legal provisions that empower local Governments, ensuring timely release of allocated funds directly to their bank accounts and streamlining administrative processes.

“Call on the President, Commander–in–Chief of the Armed Forces to resuscitate Local Government System in Nigeria.”

Sun