By Babs Oyetoro, Deborah Onyofufeke Cajetan Mmuta, Awka

Over the years the state governments have muscled the local government authorities denying them their statutory monthly allocations from the Federation account.

These anomalies have continued unabated in our polity and the local governments as of today are gasping for breath due to a lack of funds to execute their projects.

The situation is becoming worrisome with the impunity visited on the third-tier government by the state governors, even as they deny them their ecological funds and the statutory ten percent accrue from Internal Generating Revenue to the local governments.

Concerned by this ugly development, stakeholders and eminent personalities have condemned in all its entirety the unconstitutional attitudes of the state governments toward the local government authorities.

They frowned at the situation where the funds allocated to the third tier of government (LGAs) meant for infrastructural development and other welfare programmes for people are diverted thus making it pretty difficult for the people at the grassroots to enjoy real dividends of democracy.

Speakers who bared their minds against the years of misappropriation of allocations meant for the overall welfare of people in the various local government areas in the country called on the federal government to carry out full-scale investigations on the activities of state governors, which negate positive developments at the grassroots.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mr Ben Uzuegbu, threw his weight behind the recent call by the National President of the National Association of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Hakeem Ambali, for President Bola Tinubu to investigate and monitor the disbursement of funds to LGAs as well as activities of governors who have made themselves thin gods that cannot be controlled.

Uzuegbu said, “The Federal government ought to make sure that the funds allocated to local government are made available to them for them to apply it to the needs of the people at the grassroots levels.

“It is imperative for the Federal Government to make a distinction between the funds for the states and the one for the local government. Local Government administration derives its power from the constitution like the state governments as well.

“So, it’s a clear breach of the constitution for the federal government to be sending money meant for the local government through the state government. So, essentially, the federal government should wake up to its responsibility.

“Even America that adopts a presidential system of government, they recognise that there’s the national government and states and they have Mayors which is the same thing with the local government. And they allow each tier system of government to function to the fullest.

Be focused, COAS tells troops of Sector 2

On the ongoing Federal Government’s palliative being distributed to states, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria maintained they are on the same page with NULGE that all the relief materials in the form of palliatives are routed directly to the local governments so that they would reach the people for which they are meant for.

Also, Dr Agharese Osifo, a renowned analyst and Agriculture/ Economist frowned at the wasteful manner funds meant for local governments are used, saying that the funds are never channelled to the specified purse and used by the councils.

He suggested that the state governors should be probed by the nation’s anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), and any other relevant agency of the Federal government.

He said, “Yes, I am fully in support of NULGE’s call for a probe of the activities of the State Governments concerning their dealings with the LGAs. Funds disbursement by the FGN from the federation accounts hardly get to the LGAs. They are often hijacked by the State Governments.”

He also advocated that “State Governments must be monitored by the EFCC and other financial regulatory authorities of the FGN and anyone found to have deviated from the guidelines should be sanctioned.”

On the call to scrap the local government councils, Osifo said, “I don’t think it’s necessary to scrap the third tier of government. Rather, it is the state government that should be scrapped if we must restructure the architecture of the federal system of government in Nigeria.”

But Osifo maintained that the Federal Government should pay directly into the account of the local governments as would put an end to the state government tampering with the LGs’ funds.

*Diversion of ecological funds crime against humanity, says Falana

Meanwhile, Human Rights Activist and Lawyer, Femi Falana SAN, has expressed deep concern about the quantum of corruption at the state level particularly the manner at which the various sub-national have diverted the ecological funds.

According to him, the criminal diversion of ecological funds goes beyond corruption. It is akin to crimes against humanity because the funds where not judiciously spent. We have erosion and a lot of problems relating to climate change. Those who are involved in the treasonable conduct will have to be brought to book.

Falana, however, noted that the problem of ecological funds started with former Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime.