By Christiana Ekpa
The House of Representatives has mandated its Committees on Special Duties, National Planning and Economic Development to look into the spending and utilisation of increased allocations from the Federal Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) by state governments.
The committee on Inter-Governmental Affairs was also mandated to join the investigation and report back to the house within four weeks for further legislative action.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance by Rep. Ademorin Kuye (APC-Lagos) on the floor of the house in Abuja on yesterday.
In his motion, Kuye argued that states and local government areas now received more monies from FAAC in the last seven months after the subsidy removal.
He said that states and local government areas received N6.57 trillion in 2023, which was double the N3.16 trillion they received in 2022.
He said that despite the availability of more cash to the states, more than 14.2 million citizens continued to grapple with poverty.
He added that in spite the increase, some states were still faced with the challenges of payment of salaries, effective management of public institutions, the provision of public transportation, and access to potable water.
He added that the unemployment rate had increased to more than 51 per cent in some of the states.
“It is worrisome that some state governors have brazenly refused to complement the Federal Government’s poverty amelioration efforts and are not driving the necessary economic transformation.
“If the states were doing the needful, that would have reduced the suffering of Nigerians,” Kuye said.
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