Sule pledges financial autonomy for LGAs

Gov. Abdullahi Sule, of Nasarawa State on Friday pledged financial autonomy for local government councils across the state in order to ensure their growth and independence.

The governor made the pledge at Mahanga village, Awe Local Government Area, during the re-modelling of a 33-year-old primary school by the Nasarawa State Sustainable Development Goals office.

He said, “I am one of the Governors that supported financial autonomy for the Local Government Councils at the Governors Forum.

“This was because I want money meant for them to go directly to them.”

The Governor said that he had told the executive cabinet members never to make an attempt to tamper with money meant for the local governments, but to ensure that such money went directly to them.

Sule, however, warned Local Government Chairmen to know the distinction between money meant for operations and the one meant for capital projects, saying diversion of one for the other would not be tolerated.

He noted that for local governments to benefit from the financial autonomy, they should look outward, source for more means of revenue, hire capable and competent money managers to develop the local councils.