By Ben Ngwakwe, Gombe
Former member of the House of Representatives and President of the Global Legislators Organisation for a Balanced Environment, GLOBE Legislators International, Rt. Hon. Sir Sam Onuigbo, has urged Nigerians to demand greater accountability from state governors over the management of increased revenues accruing to states following the removal of the petrol subsidy.
Onuigbo, who also served as Finance Commissioner in Abia State, said the increased resources available to state governments should translate into tangible improvements in infrastructure, job creation, social services and economic opportunities for citizens, particularly at the grassroots.
In press statement issued and made available to newsmen in Gombe, he stressed the need for state governments to ensure that local government councils have access to their statutory allocations to enable them to effectively discharge their responsibilities.
According to him, adequately funded local governments are critical to rural development because they are closer to the people and better positioned to identify and respond to the immediate needs of communities.
He said local councils require sufficient resources to support agriculture, construct and maintain rural roads, improve drainage systems and provide basic social services in underserved communities.
Onuigbo noted that some state governors had publicly acknowledged substantial increases in their monthly allocations from the Federation Account Allocation Committee, FAAC, following the removal of the petrol subsidy.
He cited Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, as saying that the state’s monthly allocation increased from an average of about N3.8 billion to N4.5 billion before the subsidy removal to between N14 billion and N16 billion thereafter.
The former lawmaker also referred to comments attributed to Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodimma, who reportedly said monthly FAAC distributions had risen from about N784 billion nationally to between N1.8 trillion and N2.6 trillion following the Federal Government’s fiscal reforms.
Onuigbo further said Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, had acknowledged the increased financial resources available to states and commended the Federal Government for improving their fiscal position.
Against this backdrop, he argued that increased revenues should be accompanied by greater financial accountability and autonomy for local governments.
He expressed concern over the continued role of state-level Joint Account Committees, JACs, in the management of local government funds, stressing that councils should have access to resources required to execute development projects within their jurisdictions.
For Onuigbo, the issue is not merely about the size of government revenue, but how effectively such resources are translated into development outcomes that directly affect citizens.
He said local governments, if adequately funded, could stimulate economic activity by supporting farmers, improving rural infrastructure and creating an enabling environment for small businesses and other productive ventures.
“Governors are no longer running around in search of funds to pay salaries. We are also looking at a situation where resources meant for the local government are made available to them to pursue agriculture, so that citizens at the rural level can now engage in productive activities,” he said.
He added that properly funded local councils would be better positioned to construct rural roads, improve drainage and support agricultural production, thereby reducing the economic pressures that force many people to migrate from rural communities to urban centres.
The former lawmaker also linked effective local government administration to community security, arguing that councils, because of their proximity to the people, could identify emerging security threats and draw the attention of state and federal security agencies to challenges beyond their capacity.
According to him, local authorities can play a useful role in early identification of security concerns within communities, while matters requiring higher-level intervention could be referred to appropriate agencies, including the Department of State Services.
Onuigbo, who sponsored Nigeria’s Climate Change Act in 2021, said the condition of some local government headquarters across the country was a reflection of the wider challenges confronting the third tier of government.
He therefore called for stronger cooperation among the federal, state and local governments, arguing that coordinated development efforts would promote inclusive growth and reduce unemployment, insecurity and rural-to-urban migration.
Beyond government institutions, Onuigbo urged Nigerians to play an active role in demanding accountability from elected leaders, particularly as the country approaches the 2027 general elections.
He said citizens should not only be concerned about the amount of money allocated to governments but should also demand evidence of how such resources are being utilised and the impact on their communities.
The former lawmaker also stressed the importance of policy continuity, saying that sustained implementation of reforms and development programmes would be critical to consolidating whatever gains had been recorded.
“If we have a similar synergy among the local governments, state and federal levels, in no distant time you will have a well-rounded nation, where rural-to-urban migration and unemployment will be drastically reduced.
“We know we have the resources, and it needs to percolate down to the grassroots,” he said.
