Niger State Starving Local Governments of Funds – APC

The All Progressive Congress (APC) in Niger state has described the recent outburst of Governor Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu in which he called local government councils’ chairmen dictators as “unfortunate,” saying that his administration had been depriving the councils of their legitimate funds from statutory allocations over the past seven years.

The party in a statement issued yesterday in Minna by its state publicity secretary, Mr. Jonathan Vatsa, said local governments had become shadows of their past.

It said: "We in All Progressive Congress APC Niger state believe that the Local Government Councils  (LGCs) especially those in Niger state were not being properly funded because they don’t collect what is due to them, making  the councils  shadows of what it suppose to be.

"In Niger state what happen is for the local government councils to be issued Cheques for salaries of staff from the centre Joint Account like Ministries, Department and Agencies, instead of following the statutory laws of disbursement to the council from the Joint account."

The party stated that at best, local governments were given meagre amount as over head cost after the salaries released without due consideration of the status of the councils as a tier of government.