By Emmanuel Jonathan
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu should be commended for calling on state governors to respect Local Government autonomy and to desist from tampering with Local Government allocations. This intervention is timely and necessary.
However, autonomy without accountability is a recipe for abuse. It is therefore imperative that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) begins to invite Local Government Chairmen to account for the funds received since they assumed office. Nigerians deserve to know how these resources are being managed.
Personally, I have no quarrel with the governors. They guard their own allocations jealously, so much so that even the President cannot access a kobo without their consent. The logical question any sane mind should ask, therefore, is this: why should Local Government Chairmen not guard their allocations with the same level of responsibility and transparency?
The most disturbing aspect of this matter is the wicked and inhuman conduct of many Local Government Chairmen who squander public funds on jamborees and frivolities instead of providing basic amenities for the rural dwellers they superintend. Across the country, rural communities are plagued by urgent and long-standing problems that demand immediate attention, yet these chairmen often look the other way for selfish reasons.
Rather than addressing these pressing needs, they flood the media with exaggerated reports of a single project or programme; often one that has little or no direct impact on the lives of the poor, simply to score cheap political points. This is what we experience from some LG Chairmen in Enugu North Senatorial District of Enugu State.
It is time for community elites and stakeholders to rise to the occasion and support Mr. President in ensuring that Local Government allocations are properly utilized for the good of the people. Local Government budgets must be closely monitored. Too often, once a budget is presented to the legislative arm of the council, the next move is a media blitz showcasing the presentation ceremony. Thereafter, the budget document is abandoned in one corner of the chairman’s office while allocations are quietly devoured through irrelevant or self-serving projects.
Local Government autonomy must go hand in hand with transparency, prudence, and service to the people. Anything short of this only deepens the suffering of rural communities and betrays the very essence of grassroots governance.
Jonathan writes from Alor-Agu in Igbo-Eze South Local Government Area of Enugu State.
