A call has gone out to the Federal Government to prosecute ex-governors who misappropriated Local Government funds. Sullivan Chime, former Enugu State governor, made this call in a press interview on Nigeria’s 25th democracy anniversary, saying the move would serve as a deterrent to sitting governors, and aid Local Government autonomy.
He said the misappropriation of local government funds was criminal and hindered grassroots development. Chime added that any governor who ran the local government system without a democratically elected council as stipulated by the Nigerian Constitution was guilty of misappropriation.
The Federal Government, in May, filed a suit at the Supreme Court against governors of the 36 states, seeking full autonomy for the country’s 774 local governments. The Federal Government also asked for an order preventing the governors from arbitrarily dissolving democratically elected councils.
Chime said under his tenure, Enugu State had democratically elected council government for eight years. Said Chime: “But sadly, I don’t know how many states in this country since 1999 that obeys that Constitution.
“The Federal Government is wasting money to take serving governors to Supreme Court over Council’s funds. Send one or two former governors to jail or all who did not observe the law, and it will stop.
“We don’t need any reform but implement the law as it is and even the Supreme Court that has course to make a pronouncement on the illegality of caretaker committee, yet it is going unabated”.
He explained that Council chairmen under his administration built paved roads because they had access to their money. The “country is in a mess” because the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) did not go after former governors who failed to conduct Council elections Chime added.
