LG autonomy: Chairmen who misappropriate public funds to face law- AGF

By Musa Baba Adamu

The federal government has vowed to jail any serving local government chairman or councillor found embezzling the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee allocations for LGs.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi disclosed this yesterday at the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) lectures in Abuja.
His comments come amid the recent Supreme Court judgment endorsing Local Government Autonomy.
According to Fagbemi, the Chairman and Councillors are without immunity hence they can be charged in court over corruption.
He urged local government Chairmen and Councillors to choose the path of transparency rather than corruption.
“Well, we have a situation on our hands, I know that it is still there; the conduct of elections is to be undertaken by the states.
“But the distinction is this: don’t forget, the governors have immunity, the local government council chairmen or councillors, they have no immunity, so they have to choose between dealing with the funds of the local government as they like and risking going to jail. The choice is theirs (LG chairmen).
“If they want to tamper with these funds and end up in jail, it is their choice. Or if they want to write their names in letters of gold, activities like construction or upgrading of roads must return to the local government. They don’t all have to come to Abuja.