BY: Oliseama Okwuchukwu
The approval of Local Governments’ autonomy by the National Assembly and the Presidency, have attracted a lot of attentions in the society.
Just recently, the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) petitioned President Muhmmadu Buhari over the released guidelines by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) on granting financial autonomy to Local Governments.
This is coming after Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) says it will not support politicians who are against Local Government autonomy.
Speaking on the matter, Senator Shehu Sani, advised the chairmen thus:
“If you are a Local Government Chairman and your Governor has been giving you directives to dip your hands into the treasury and share money to his cronies or for political or Campaigns purposes or to award contracts indiscriminately, without due process to party Excos and yes men and you have been complying because he helped you to be chairman, know that a day would come when you will answer your charges before the EFCC OR ICPC alone.
“Nobody will accompany you when invited, nobody will accompany you to the court, nobody will stay with you in the cell. Only your immediate family members. Neither the Governor will stand by you nor the people he directed you ‘to help’.
“Long after the Governor is out of the office, the Books will still be there.This is not an assumption but a recall to the experience of thousands of others in the past. As the NFIU guidelines takes effect, know that you will be closely monitored and only you can protect yourself and your name.
“My last advice; Keep records of the names of people you share money to,and those you gave out inflated contracts, so that when the time for refund comes,you can easily tender their names to relevant authorities”, says Senator Shehu Sani.