Govs using LG allocations as slush funds, Dogara laments

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, on Tuesday, accused governors of the 36 states of abusing the joint account and using allocations to local government councils from the federation account as slush funds. He therefore reiterated the resolve of the National Assembly to grant financial autonomy to the 774 councils in the country.

Dogara, in a statement by his media adviser, Turaki Hassan, decried the lack of elections at the local government level, saying that the action of state governors in this regard is crippling democracy and denying the much-needed development at the third tier of government.

The speaker said that the House is also in the process of granting financial autonomy to the 36 state Houses of Assembly.

He decried a situation whereby governors have constituted themselves as middlemen that continuously hijack funds meant for the councils in the name of joint account, which he described as “evil.”

The speaker further described as an aberration and illegality the continuous existence of caretaker committees manning affairs of local government councils, revealing that clauses may be introduced in the constitutional amendment bill that will not only outlaw caretaker committees, but would also stop allocation of funds from the federation account to local governments that do not have democratically elected councils.

As a step to end the illegality allegedly perpetrated by state governors, the speaker disclosed that the National Assembly would consider abolishing States Independent Electoral Commission (SIECs) thereby empowering the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take over their functions.

“As a matter of fact, joint account is one of the biggest evils because it gives the authority to local government ministries in the state.

In most states, especially in the north where we don’t have oil, the ministry of local government in the state is regarded as the ministry of petroleum resources. “We all know when funds are allocated to the councils. Instead of getting to (them), the funds are hijacked at that level and appropriated according to the whims of the powers that be,” Dogara added.

He also called on the media, civil society organizations and well-meaning Nigerians, to be vigilant and ensure that the proposed amendments to the constitution are endorsed by at least 24 out of the 36 state assemblies by mounting pressure on them and the state governors.