…says such decision is killing development
President Muhammadu Buhari has on Thursday accused state governors of stealing from local government council allocations.
President Buhari who made the accusation after delivering his speech at the presidential parley for members of the Senior Executive Course 44 (2022) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) at the State House saying that personal integrity is fundamental in the operations of government.
He recalled an instance where a state governor would receive allocation on behalf of council areas in his state only to remit half of such allocation to the council chairmen.
These actions, he said, portrayed the sort of corrupt practices that is now symptomatic of Nigeria in dispensing resources meant for local council administrations, thereby undermining development.
He said:”If the monies from the Federal Government to State governments is N100 million, let’s put it at N100 million,N50 million will be sent to the chairman with a letter that he will sign that he received N100 million.
“The governor will pocket the balance and share it with whoever he wanted to and then the chairman of the local government will say how much he must pay as salaries. To hell goes development. Monies for the salaries will be given and the balance he will put in his pocket.
“This is what is happening in Nigeria, it’s a terrible thing. You cannot say the person who is doing these was not educated, he was a qualified lawyer, he was experienced, yet he participated in this type of corruption.”
“So it’s a matter of conscience, whichever level we find ourselves. As a leader, you sit here with all the sacrifices the country is making by putting you through institutions and getting you ready to lead.
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“The fundamental thing is personal integrity. May God help us”he added
Buhari, in his address, congratulated the members of the Senior Executive Course 44 on the successful completion of their course. He challenged them to revitalise and reinvigorate leadership at the various levels of establishments.
President Buhari’s comment is coming hours after Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba accused governors of responsible for poverty ravaging the country.
He said governors fond of executing bogus projects, such as bridges and airports in cities rather than improving the lives of the rural poor in their respective states.