President Muhammadu Buhari has again knocked governors, accusing them of stealing local government funds and stifling development of rural communities.
The criticism came barely 24 hours after the Minister for State Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba had blamed the state executives for the high rate of poverty in the country by investing in the construction of flyovers and airports rather than improving conditions of rural dwellers.
President Buhari, who spoke after delivering his speech at an event hosted for members of the Senior Executive Course 44 (2022) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, flayed governors who collected money on behalf of council areas in their states only to remit half of such funds to council chairmen.
The president said he spoke from personal experience involving a governor he declined to name. He connected the vice to the issue of lack of integrity in many people holding positions like governorship and council chairmanship. He said such behaviour was reprehensible and spoke to the height of corruption in the country.
“I found it necessary to digress after reading my speech and this digression is as a result of my personal experience. What they did, this is my personal experience, if the money from the Federation Account to the state is about N100 million, N50 million will be sent to the chairman but he will sign that he received N100 million. The governor will pocket the balance and share it with whoever he wants to share it with.
“And then the chairman of the local government must see how much he must pay in salaries and to hell with development. When he pays the salaries of the big man, the balance he will put in his pocket. This is what’s happening. This is Nigeria. It’s a terrible thing; you cannot say the person who was doing this is not educated.”
The president urged public office holders to be guided by their conscience and personal integrity on their beats. He pledged that the recommendations contained in the presentation of SEC 44 would be painstakingly studied by with a view to implementing its recommendations.
Declaring that his administration has done so much in building trust between the government and the people, het noted that the report would largely assist in the provision of good governance to the people at the grassroots and by extension win back their trust in government.
“It is obvious that government cannot afford to pay lip-service to the recommendations contained in this report. I assure you that the report will be treated with the seriousness and urgency it deserves. Government will study the report with the view to implementing the carefully detailed recommendations,” he said.
Commending the quality of the report and the commitment and dedication that went into it, President Buhari said the National Institute can always be trusted to deliver on critical and sensitive assignments of national importance. He expressed delight that the Institute has been exceptional in handling several assignments, and the current submission is a commendable improvement on the existing standards.
“The quality of the presentation, and the confidence with which they were made strongly attests to the quality of training the participants received during the course. I congratulate you for justifying the confidence and trust reposed in each and everyone of you by your respective nominations.
He added that he was convinced that they were all now well equipped for the strategic tasks, increased responsibilities, and positions of authority of trust.
“I challenge you to go back to your various establishments, units, posts, beats, departments, directorates, Ministries, Parastatals, commissions, commands, agencies to revitalise, reinvigorate, reform and rejig your various platforms and spheres of influence, responsibility and leadership,” he said.
Source- The Daily Sun
