A researcher, Professor George Ahunanya, has called on the Federal Government to put monitoring mechanisms in place to ensure funds allocated to local government councils are properly utilized. Professor Ahunanya, Chief Executive Director of the Institute for Research, Leadership and Capacity Development, Port Harcourt, spoke in an interview with Exceed FM News.
He said financial autonomy for LGs is commendable, but policies must not end there. He stressed the need for effective checks and balances to prevent misappropriation of public funds.He urged the Federal Government to work with state governments to establish an independent monitoring and implementation committee to oversee monthly FAAC disbursements to councils.
The committee, he said, should ensure projects directly benefit grassroots communities.The professor also called on President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress, APC, to reduce focus on 2027 election activities and address Nigeria’s worsening security challenges.
“The idea of granting local government financial autonomy is quite commendable, but leaving them so vague without checks and balances is not the best,” he said.
“I would call on the president to stem down political activities and prioritize other issues facing the country. The security and economy of any country shouldn’t suffer for political gains. We are fighting a war — insecurity, hunger, starvation. The people are dying, and the war is in different forms affecting both poor and rich,” he lamented.
