Senator Ita Enang, Special Adviser to the President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta Affairs, says Nigerian Governors of kidnapping funds meant for 774 Local Government of the Federation.

The Presidential aide wondered why the Governors keep blaming the President on issues of insecurity and development in their domain haven hijacked the financial autonomy of the third tier of government.

Enang who made the allegation on NTA Good morning Nigeria on Monday, which was monitored in Abuja, predicted terminal ailments for corrupt leaders in Country.

He alleged that the behaviours of the Governors have denied the Nigerians and third tier of government good governance.

“But we have the greatest and the hottest of it is the Local government. Eh eh, the Governors have exercised so much power that are beyond what the Constitution envisaged for them, beyond that the laws gave to them.

“The President has kept within his powers as President and does not interfere with the funds of the State government. The Governors have interfered and kidnapped the funds of the Local Government Areas through what is called the Joint Account Committee (JAC)…The money that they realise as Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) which is why the Joint Account was made. IGR does not get to the LGAs, you add it to the statutory allocations due to the LG. Now the insecurity problems that we have today are in the LGAs and they (Governors) want the President to take care of it.

“They (Governors) have said No! But they can’t guarantee the protection of the people because it is in the entire Country. Everybody is a witness. Because they do not allow the moneys of the LG to get to the LG, the LG would have been at least capture within the nests certain persons at that certain Class at that LG level. It will be seen as tier of government.

“If the Governors had given the money to the LG, their would be Agriculture at that level. There would be interventions and infrastructure at that level. There would be governance at that level. What happens today, Local government Officers only go to work when there is allocation to be share or when allocation has arrived. Besides, most representatives at the LG government levels in Nigeria are appointed. That is even another level”, Enang said.

According to him, “This government of President Muhammadu Buhari has been very active and instrumental towards ensuring that powers devolve according to the Constitution. That is why he had to set up a Committee on implementation after the amendment of the Constitution to allow for autonomy of State judiciary with the Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami as Chairman and myself as the Secretary of the Presidential Implementation on the autonomy of State judiciary and State Legislatures.

“We went to work. We worked hard on it and in the cause of it, we for much resistance and Mr. President had to issue an Executive Order 10. The Executive Order 10 is being enforced and we are working and we are almost at the threshold of getting the money deducted from the Account of Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), until Mr. President had to say let us hold on and give the Governors more time before we approach the Accountant-General of the Federation to deduct the funds directly to the various Courts and the Houses of Assembly in the 36 States”.

The Presidential aide assured that “The President need to free LG. In the Constitutional amendment, should would allow the funds of LG go to the LG straight haven freed the State Houses of Assembly finances”.

He further said’ “Now, that Labour strike followed and then, we resolved that by Today (Monday) and tomorrow, the Houses of Assembly would have resumed along with all the Courts in the 36 States” of the Federation.

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