Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has urged states to emphasize productive activities to enhance internally generated revenues.
Makinde made this appeal while reacting to the Supreme Court’s decision granting financial autonomy to local governments. During a meeting with Dr. Chris Iziguzo, the National President of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), at the secretariat in Agodi, Ibadan, the governor stated that the Supreme Court ruling has minimal impact on Oyo State.
“Since my administration began, we have conducted local government elections twice, and from the first election onward, there has been no need for caretakers,” Makinde said. “We ensured a smooth electoral process. Therefore, this is not a significant issue for us.”
The governor expressed concern about many local governments’ inability to generate revenue beyond federal allocations and stressed the need to focus on increasing productivity.
“It is a shame that our country cannot feed itself,” Makinde remarked. “We need to restore confidence in our people and get this country back on the path of growth and economic progress.”
Makinde pointed out that Nigeria’s primary challenge is insufficient production. “Our real problem is productivity, not merely what is shared in Abuja through FAAC. We need to ensure we add value to our resources,” he added.
During the visit, Iziguzo honoured Makinde as the Grand Patron of NUJ, Oyo State Council, acknowledging his significant support to the union over the years.
In a landmark judgment on Thursday, the Supreme Court directed the Federal Government to commence direct payments of local government funds to their exclusive accounts. Justice Emmanuel Agim, delivering the lead judgment, criticized the state government’s longstanding resistance to financial autonomy for local governments.
Justice Agim emphasized that the 774 local government councils in Nigeria should manage their funds independently and stated that only democratically elected local government administrations are entitled to these funds, excluding caretaker committees.
Source: (NAN)