Direct payment of statutory allocations to Local Government Areas is expected to commence by November 2024, pending no last-minute opposition from state governors. This development follows the Supreme Court’s ruling granting autonomy to Local Government Councils, which mandates the federal government to pay allocations directly to LGAs, bypassing state governments.
The National President, National Union of Local Government Employees, Hakeem Ambali, disclosed the latest information during an interview with a popular media platform on Sunday.
Meanwhile, NULGE President, Edo State, Daudu Clifford, has said the state governors had asked for three months to begin the implementation of the payment, which will elapse at the end of October.
According to him, “They have not started the implementation actually. The governors are delaying the implementation because they asked for three months before its commencement which expires at the end of this month.
This was as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC)assured of its commitment to diligently monitoring and tracking expenditures of the 774 LG chairmen from the revenue disbursement allocated from the Federal Government every month.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, has said the anti-graft agency would monitor the budget performance of all the local governments in the country.
Olukoyede, in an interview published in a recent edition of the commission’s official newsletter, stated that the EFCC would monitor the budget performances of all the local governments in the country.
He lamented the overbearing influence of state governments on the resources of the local governments.
The EFCC boss said the commission had expanded its presence and coverage across the country.
He vowed that any local government official who misappropriated funds would be apprehended and prosecuted.
Olukoyede said, “The wisdom of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), in initiating the action cannot be faulted.
“Local government operations have largely been crippled in the country due to the overbearing influence of state governments.”
“The charges recently filed by the commission against the former governor of Taraba State, Darius Ishaku, have to do with an alleged theft of billions of local government funds.
“So, local governments having direct access to their funds may improve developmental activities at the third tier of government and reduce rural poverty.
“We are fully prepared to ensure accountability in the use of local government funds. One of the reasons that informed the decision to establish additional zonal directorates by the commission is the need to improve the commission’s presence and coverage of the country.
“We’ll work closely with stakeholders in tracking the budget performance of the councils, to ensure that funds appropriated are used for specified purposes and those who violate the law will be brought to justice.”
