‘Sending funds directly to councils will ensure accountability’

A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN) has said that the new guidelines issued by the Nigerian Finance Intelligence Unit (NFIU), to stop governors from receiving local government funds will ensure accountability.

Agbakoba, who commended NFIU for the directive, said the decision was in tandem with his own suit at the Federal High Court, to stop allocation of public funds to unaccountable local government councils.

He added that the basis of the case was that section 7 (1) of the 1999 Constitution guarantees a system of democratically elected government councils.

“But local government areas in Nigeria are never elected and are unconstitutional. Allocation of public funds to them is, therefore, violates the constitution, as there is collusion with state governments in the use of trillions of public funds,” he said.