FG urged to establish spending template for LG funds

The Federal Government, through office the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi SAN, has been urged to as a matter of urgency set up a template and modalities for all the 774 local governments areas across the country on how funds released to them should be fully and judiciously used.

The template will also ensure proper implementations, as well as correcting all the anomalies in the system for speedy development at the local government level.

The call was made by the Chairman, Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority, Alhaji Sanusi Baban Takko (Barayan Bauchi) while chatting with Journalists in Bauchi on Wednesday.

According to him, “Anything done contrary by any Council Chairman on Good Governance Delivery or violating the rule of Law, being the third tier of government, the full wrath of the Law should take Its natural course, as their is no more excuse for failure. Be warned. As he who ignores the danger deserves the disaster.”

He stressed that,”The era of third tier of government’s failure to live up to its billing is over, as all the significant challenges impeding their ability to fulfill their constitutional assigned roles has been done and sealed by the Supreme Court’s judgement.”

He also hailed President Ahmed Bola Tinubu on his tenacity towards local governments accelerated development across the country through the autonomy granted through the judgment of the Supreme Court.

He stressed that, “The recent Supreme Court’s historic ruling in favour of local governments autonomy, through the instrumentality of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is a clear manifestation of his commitment towards fast-tracking quick and accelerated development at the grassroot level across the Nation.”

According to him,”His pedigree and antecedents at the grassroot level as the then Lagos State Governor speaks volumes for themselves. His legendary feats at that level over Two decades ago are enduring legacies, posterity and succeeding generations of leaders and general populace still remembered him as it takes courage and political will to implement such a sensitive and vital policy during his trying moments as governor of Lagos State.”

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“In this regards, all the nation’s Thirty six State Governors should as a matter of urgency comply with the Supreme Court’s judgement on full autonomy at the grassroot level, for even distributions of resources aimed at the common good of all,” he added.

According to him,”Thereby filling the wide gaps in service delivery and the people in the rural communities who have been suffering for several decades due to the apparent failure of the local government system to meet up with their constitutional mandate. Prioritising the development of Nigeria is a topmost priority that doesn’t even requires any arguments in the first place.”

Sanusi Baban Takko added that,”With this new trend of releasing funds directly to the local governments across the country, President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, has written his name in gold, and indeed, his name will continue to remain in the annals of history and letters of life in which historians will considered as non-perishable till the ends of time.”

Sanusi Baban Takko appealed to relevant and critical stakeholders in the Nigerian Political milliew; men and women of goodwill to continually supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s people-oriented initiatives, aimed at taking Nigeria to the next and desired levels as he’s always thinking of making the country a better place, where everyone will be proud to be called a ‘Nigerian’ both within and outside the shores of our beloved nation.

The political leader from North-East, Bauchi State, also urged the thirty six State Governors to prioritise the development of Nigeria and support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in his quest to take Nigeria to greater heights of complete success and prosperity.

He reminded them that a critical component of the Renewed Hope Agenda is the integration of local governments into the mainstream of governance in Nigeria, and the Federal Government instituted legal action against them at the Supreme Court is based on legal interpretation, and not for any slightest negative purpose.

The action underscores President Bola Tinubu’s profound commitment to local governments issue of one he is intimately familiar with from his fruitful tenure as Governor of Lagos from 1999 to 2007.

“Once again, I would like to thank President Ahmed Bola Tinubu, for appointing me Chairman of the Upper Benue River Basin Development Authority, covering Bauchi South, Gombe, Taraba, and headquartered in Adamawa State.”

He assured, “I pledge to leverage my experience to add value to the Renewed Hope Agenda of his presidency. I also urge my fellow Executive Management Team/Board Members to work together as a team to achieve our lofty goals.”

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