The Nation

Abdulrazaq: I believe in LG autonomy, but governors shouldn’t be faulted for unpaid salaries

June 12, 2024 11:26 am

PRESIDENT BUHARI RECEIVES KWARA GOV 5.. The Kwara State Governor, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq briefing State House Press after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari during a visit to the State House Abuja. PHOTO; SUNDAY AGHAEZE . SEPT 22 2020

AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Kwara state governor, says he believes in full autonomy for LGAs.

In a statement on Tuesday, the governor, through Rafiu Ajakaye, his press secretary, clarified that Kwara state does not have any joint project account with the LGAs in the state.

However, he added that state governors should not be held liable if any local government is unable to pay salaries.

“It is my personal belief that each local government should manage its resources and be responsible for its obligations, including wages that are first line charges,” the governor said.

“I also believe that the state governor should not be held liable if any local government is unable to pay salaries since we do not touch a kobo of their money.

“We also do not have any joint project accounts with any local government in the state, as was the case with the previous administration in our state.

“These are my personal beliefs. But my personal belief is not necessarily the same as the letters of the law, including the provisions of the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC), which is a creation of the constitution.

“As of today, local government allocations are sent to the JAAC as required by the law. Section 162 of the constitution is very clear on this.

“As things stand today, no activity of the local government in Kwara state is at variance with these provisions of the law. Our case in the court is not about my personal beliefs. It is, we believe, in the defence of the constitution, which created JAAC for reasons that are well-grounded in our experiences as a people.

“JAAC, in summary, pulls resources together to pay all teachers, health workers, traditional rulers, and other statutory duties listed in the schedule of the local government areas. If we all want these to change as a national consensus, we believe that the constitution will have to be amended to expunge JAAC.”

Currently, the attorney-general of the federation is challenging all 36 state governors before the supreme court, seeking autonomy for the country’s 774 local governments.

In the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, the federal government is also asking for an order preventing the governors from arbitrarily dissolving democratically elected councils.