Chief Uzu Okagbue has urged Nigerians to focus more on the nation’s federating units and hold them accountable.
He made this call during Nigeria’s independence anniversary, which coincides with his birthday. Okagbue emphasized that if Nigerians directed even half of the attention they give to the presidency towards state governors, they would witness transformative changes that would significantly enhance their lives.
In addition to urging accountability from state governors, Okagbue stressed that local government chairpersons must also be subjected to the same standards of accountability if citizens are earnest about demanding good governance.
“Nigeria’s structure is designed to address its people’s needs through its federating units – the states and local governments. With 36 states and 774 local governments, these entities are in a better position to tackle local issues. States and local governments committed to the people can have a profound impact because they are closer to the communities, understand their challenges, and can address them with precision and personal engagement,” Uzu stated.
In August, every local government in Anambra State received at least N300 million from the FAAC disbursement for July. Despite this influx of funds, governance remains elusive as citizens struggle for basic necessities like good roads and clean water. Ironically, these local governments have sufficient resources to meet these essential needs.
Following the Federal Government’s push for all state governments to conduct local elections, ensuring direct FAAC allocations to local governments, the call for accountability of local leaders is timely.
Responding to this situation, Okagbue asserted that local governments must be held to even higher standards.
“Local government chairpersons should be transparent about how they are utilizing the hundreds of millions of Naira they receive from the federal government each month. I urge our people to take a stand on this.
“We must realize that the longer we neglect to hold our governors and local government chairpersons accountable, the more we delay our vision of a well-governed society where citizen needs are at the forefront of government decisions and actions,” Okagbue concluded.
