On the 22nd August 2023,I read on a revered Elder Statesman, Honourable Lanre Laoshe’s Facebook page that despite the intervention of the Federal Government on the effect of fuel Subsidy on the people, to assist people with palliatives to reduce their suffering, instead of the people to be criticising federal Government, they should direct such criticism to State and Local Government because they are the closest to the people.
According to Honourable Lanre Laoshe,
“All those who don’t trust their governors/LG chairmen with palliative funds and thus are criticising the FG, I feel for you.”
You should all pay your income taxes, land fees, building permit fees, land use charges, tenement rates and state university tuition fees to the FG. There is an FIRS in every state. Let us show these governors that we no longer trust them and let the message get to Tinubu. FG must handle everything in Nigeria. We don’t like nonsense”.
The post echoes my thoughts exactly on the mismanagement going on on this nation.
In Nigeria, we have three tiers of government which are the Federal,State and Local Government. Each of these tiers of government has enormous responsibilities, a lot of which lies with the State and Local Government but because of the complexity in our nation,all attention are on the Federal government and every wrong is addressed to them for the slow development in the country while people tend to forget mostly that the greatest task lies in the hands of the State and Local Governments. Because of this,many State and Local Government have developed several arrangements that has robbed the people the dividends of democracy.
One of such cases is the recent crises in Ogun State involving the Governor, Prince Dapo Abiodun and his Ijebu East Local Government Chairman,Wale Adedayo.
The Ijebu Ode East Local Government Chairman had accused the Governor of “zero allocation” to the LG in the last 2 years. He has accused the government of diverting Local Government funds to other quarters which has prevented him and some of his colleagues to give dividends of democracy to the people that elected them.
In the Chairman’s letter to a former Governor in the State and elder statesman,Chief Segun Osoba in which he also copied the Economic and Financial Crimes commission as well as Independent Corrupt and other offences related Commission,(ICPC), Mr Adedayo asked the anti graft commissions to step in and investigate.
The Ijebu East Local Government Council Chair,Wale Adedayo also known as ‘Babalawo’ deserves commendation for exposing the truth as we only have few people who have the audacity to stand tall in the face of tyranny.
The revelation of the alleged stealing of council funds by the Prince Dapo Abiodun led government shows that this is why Nigeria have failed to move forward. We have many governors doing worse than that. Nigerians should start asking questions from federal,State and Local Government on income and expenditure to see if the monies are spent judiciously.
Prince Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State should meet with the anti graft commissions in order to clear the air on these allegations and If thereafter found not guilty, Wale Adedayo deserves censure for defamation. If the reverse is the case, there should be strict sanction so as to set further to discourage other governors who might also be involved in such
As a build up to the suspension of the Ijebu East LG by the legislative councillors which was traced to the Governor by instigating councillors with 1 million naira each to suspend the governors speaks foul. After a charade suspension,the Oke-mosan warlord did not stop, the chairman received an invitation by the DSS and was later detained which the Governor was seen driving into their premises to have a word with the chairman on the imbroglio.
Having been humiliated by the singular action of the LG Chairman on Zero action,the Governor ordered the Commissioner designate,Mr Okubadejo to organise a Press Conference Okubadejo who explained to the public how the monies received as allocation from the FG was spent contrary to the insinuation of the Wale Adedayo.
However, if there is no smoke in the cupboard, I see no reason for the suspension and the DSS Invitation followed by the Press conference.
With the incident in Ogun State,it is very evident how so many funds disappear in the hands of FG,State and LG while the people are the ones at the receiving end.
I would advise President Bola Tinubu to show that his administration has zero tolerance for corruption by reviewing how funds are disbursed to the State and local Government. There should be independence on each of tiers of government account. Local Government should pay salaries of those who works in its councils and not the state government. Everyone should face his own job squarely.
The Local Government Councils in Nigeria are presently a shadow of it own past. Also, councillors elected into the legislative house should be people of pedigree and not those who can be easily bought with 1million to do shady suspension.
I therefore call on the federal Government, anti graft agencies and Nigerians to start asking questions. Even if the Federal Government distributes one billion naira daily to State and Local Government and we fail to ask questions,there will not be any single development since people are more interested in their stomach than in providing amenities to the ordinary Nigerians.
Sent from Felixdreal@yahoo.com