The governor of Taraba State, Kefas Agbu, has explained his administration’s approach to local government autonomy, saying local government councils in the state have been granted financial independence but remained under supervision to ensure accountability and efficiency.
Speaking in an interview with select journalists in Lagos on Saturday, Agbu said the policy was designed to strengthen governance at the grassroots level and ensure local governments operate in line with constitutional provisions.
“It’s all about financial autonomy. The money goes to the local government,” he said.
The governor explained that while funds were directly allocated to local government councils, his administration monitors their utilisation to ensure they are channelled into development projects that reflect the needs of the people.
“So, what we do is, this money is your money. We identify the things that people want and ensure the money go to those things. So, while they (Local Government chairmen) are there, the money is in their custody. But, I am overseeing what they are doing with the money,” Governor Kefas said.
He insisted that his government does not interfere with local government allocations but ensures strict adherence to project-based spending.
“I have never touched local government funds. All the local government funds are directed to projects. And I make sure that they don’t even have money to contemplate using it for anything else. They must make sure that the money is tied to projects. The money is tied to things in the local government,” he added.
Agbu noted that the implementation of the autonomy policy was already yielding positive results, with several projects underway expected to boost revenue generation in the long term.
“And then, much later, those things that we are building will start yielding and generating revenues for the state. So, that is why I decided to implement the local government autonomy, and it’s working in Taraba,” he said.
He also disclosed that his administration occasionally provides additional state support to local government councils for critical projects such as school renovation and community development.
“And sometimes, I also go out of my way to use the state resources to give to the local government chairman to renovate schools and do certain things that will benefit the people,” he added.
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