Masari, Katsina gov, warns LG chairmen against graft

Aminu Masari, the new governor of Katsina state, has directed the 34 local government council chairmen in the state to account for all the funds disbursed to them by Ibrahim Shema, his predecessor, after April 11 election.

Masari gave the directive to the chairmen during a meeting he had with them on Tuesday.

In May, Lawal Jari, the immediate-past commissioner of finance, disclosed that N8.5 billion was to all the councils.

Jari said that the funds would be used to pay May salaries and settle liabilities.

Speaking at the meeting, Masari said the APC administration would promote due process, and not condone corruption and mismanagement of public funds in the state.

“Under my watch, the state and local government resources must be judiciously utilised,” he said.

The governor also said anybody caught stealing government money would face the full wrath of the law.

He charged the chairmen to sit up and face their responsibilities with all seriousness and sense of responsibility.

Masari also asked the chairmen to give top priority to education, agriculture and the healthcare sectors.

He reminded them that those were the APC priority areas, hence the need for the local government councils in the state to accord them the necessary attention.

Masari also expressed concern over the delay in the sales of fertiliser to farmers in the state.

“The rainy season has commenced, farmers have no fertiliser, this is contrary to the claim by the previous administration that it had procured and left behind sufficient quantities of fertilisers for farmers,’’ he said.

Responding, Lawal Dankaba, the state ALGON chairman, told the governor that the immediate-past administration distributed 40 bags of fertiliser to each polling unit in the state.

Dankaba added that the distribution did not cover all the 34 local government areas of the state.