President Muhammadu Buhari has accused governors of stealing the allocations of LGAs in their states.

The president on Thursday said the governors treat the local government level unfairly.

Buhari made the remarks after delivering his speech at an event hosted for members of the senior executive course 44 (2022) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) at the presidential villa in Abuja.

The president made reference to “fraudulent acts” carried out by some governors in the distribution of funds intended for the management of local councils.

He said it’s unfathomable that some state governors would collect money on behalf of council areas, and only remit half of such allotment to the council chairpersons.

“If the monies from the federal government to state governments is N100 million, let’s put it at N100 million — N50 million will be sent to the chairman with a letter that he will sign that he received N100 million,” he said.

“The governor will pocket the balance and share it with whoever he wanted to and then the chairman of the local government will say how much he must pay as salaries. To hell goes development. Monies for the salaries will be given and the balance he will put in his pocket.

“This is what is happening in Nigeria, it’s a terrible thing. You cannot say the person who is doing these was not educated, he was a qualified lawyer, he was experienced, yet he participated in this type of corruption.”

Buhari attributed such behaviours to a lack of integrity, noting that it contributes to the pervasive corruption in the country.

“So it’s a matter of conscience, whichever level we find ourselves. As a leader, you sit here with all the sacrifices the country is making by putting you through institutions and getting you ready to lead,” he added.

“The fundamental thing is personal integrity. May God help us.”

The president’s criticism comes about 24 hours after the federal government said the governors prioritise flyovers and airports over improving conditions in rural areas, hence, contributing to the high poverty rate in the country.

The Cable