The De Renaissance Patriots Foundation has commended the Federal Government for releasing monthly allocations directly to Local Government Areas (LGAs) through the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).
The group hailed the initiative as a critical step towards enhancing grassroots governance and holding elected local government officials accountable.
In a statement jointly signed by its President, Bolaji Are, and Secretary-General, Yomi Tokosi, the foundation expressed optimism about the impact of the decision on governance at the local level.
“We can now hold the elected members of the LGAs accountable for their actions and failures. Some of us have been advocating for this initiative. We welcome this positive step by the Federal Government,” the statement read.
The group also emphasized the importance of counterpart funding from state governments to local councils, urging state authorities to ensure such funds are made available.
“We hope that the state’s counterpart funding to the local government authorities will be available to them. We expect to see a gradual shift towards progress and better service delivery to the people at the grassroots,” it added.
Particularly lauded was the adherence to constitutional provisions in Lagos State, where allocations were reportedly made directly to the 20 recognized local government authorities.
“We are particularly excited about this as it happens that these allocations, with regard to LGAs in Lagos State, were made directly to the 20 LG authorities in line with the constitutional provisions,” the statement noted.
The foundation also vowed to monitor the administration of funds at the local government level, ensuring that no undue influence compromises the effective use of the allocations.
“We will continue to be interested in the day-to-day administration of these local authorities in our state to ensure that no scripted backdoor arrangements are done anywhere to arm-twist LGA chairmen,” it added.
Describing the development as the “news of the month,” the foundation reiterated its commitment to advocating for transparency and accountability in local governance.
The Federal Government’s move to bypass state intermediaries in the disbursement of local government funds has been widely praised by stakeholders who believe it will strengthen governance at the grassroots level and improve service delivery to Nigerians.
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