Okafor and Amaechi
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Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Mr. Nwabueze Okafor, has said about 50 per cent of the local governments in the country are not administered by democratically elected chairmen and councillors, paving the way for massive embezzlement of public funds.
Okafor disclosed this on Friday, during a courtesy visit to the Chairman of Punch Nigeria Limited, Mr. Wale Aboderin.
Aboderin, who was attending the annual conference of ALGON holding in Enugu State, used the occasion to call on council chairmen across the country to empower youths in their various local governments through sports and agriculture.
He urged ALGON to utilise the opportunities offered by agriculture and sports in order to develop the youth and generate more
revenue.
He said, “You and your colleagues will definitely get a lot of revenue to run the councils without having to depend on funds from the federal government.
“With these two sectors – agriculture and sports – you could also empower the youths in the rural areas and rid them of crime and hostility.”
The ALGON boss in his speech, decried the widespread
corruption currently experienced in local councils across the country, but maintained that despite the challenges confronting local government administration, the local council system remained the best option for grass roots development.
He said, “We cannot say because of the feeling or notion that the local government chairmen embezzle funds, we will not have the local government system, or will not have an autonomous or strong local government system.
“These are just mere conjectures; even the Federal Government is accused of embezzling funds, even past
presidents – both elected and military – have all been accused of embezzling funds, and we have not scrapped the FG.
“We have not dissolved the National Assembly because some persons there are accused of embezzling money or diverting funds meant for other things.
“Which system do we think will benefit the people most? It’s the local government system. We have seen that and we have demonstrated why the local government system still remains the hope of the common people.”
Okafor also condemned the practice where state governments spend the funds meant for the development of the local governments, leaving the councils with lean revenue base.
He, however, expressed optimism that with increased autonomy of the local governments, people at the grass roots would feel this tier of government.
Speaking on the protracted non-conduct of local council elections in Anambra State, the ALGON boss said Governor Peter Obi
lacked the constitutional authority to spend funds meant for local governments in the state without democratically elected councils.
“Section seven of the Constitution states that a system of local government by democratically elected councils hereby guaranteed should not be contravened. Now, from where does he derive the authority to spend monies meant for the local governments?” Okafor said.
