Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has lamented the inability of many of the local government areas in the country to generate revenue outside of the federal allocation, saying the focus of the country should be on how to increase productivity. Makinde said this while reacting to the Supreme Court judgment that granted financial autonomy to local governments.
The Governor called on states to focus more on productive activities that can boost internally generated revenues.
Makinde, who was receiving the National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Dr Chris Iziguzo, in his office at the secretariat, Agodi, Ibadan, said the Supreme Court judgment has nothing to do with Oyo State.
“Because since I came in, we have conducted local government election twice, and for one day after we held the first election, there’s been no caretaker anywhere.
“We planned and gave allowance for election process to go on smoothly. So, it’s not a big problem for us,” he said.
The governor said the focus of the country should be on how to increase productivity.
According to him, it is a big shame for this country that we cannot feed ourselves.
“We should go back to those things that will allow us to bring confidence back to our people and to ensure that this country is back on the path of growth and economic progress,” he said
He explained that the issue Nigeria have “is that we’re not producing enough, we’re not productive. Whatever it is that we’re sharing in Abuja, which is what this FAAC is all about, you want to have value for it, but our real problem is productivity.”
Iziguzo, during the visit, invested Makinde as the Grand Patron of NUJ, Oyo State Council, in recognition of his immense support to the union over the years.
NAN reports that in a landmark judgment on Thursday, the apex court ordered the Federal Government to immediately start the direct payment of local government funds to the latter’s exclusive accounts.
In its lead judgment read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the apex court scolded the decades-long refusal of the state government on financial autonomy for local governments.
Justice Agim noted that the 774 local government councils in the country should manage their funds themselves.
He said only democratically elected local government administrations are entitled to these funds and not caretaker committees.
Source: NAN
