Presidency Lambast Govs Over Poor Service Delivery, Says LG Will Receive Direct Allocation January Ending

Anthony Ekpo Bassey 

The Presidency has taken a swipe at poor service delivery of state Governors, disclosing that local governments will receive their allocations directly from the Federal Allocation Account Committee (FAAC), from ending of January. 

Giving the assurance on Arise News yesterday, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, said that the president believes and he is committed to local government autonomy. 

He said: "We have a president who ensures local government autonomy. I spoke to a local government chairman, who said, Oh, I will be getting N2.9bn, instead of the N200M I was getting before.' The Special Adviser went on to assure that: "From the end of this month, Local Governments will receive the money directly.”

He explained that: “The framers of our constitution created the three tiers of government for a reason. It's time to hold states and local governments accountable."

The Special Adviser blamed Governors who receive so much money yet have little to show for it. He cited an instance: "One state collected N499 billion last year, nearly four times its previous allocation, yet there is little to show for it." Dare, frowned.