Politics

Adamawa Governor Defends Local Government Spending Autonomy: “No One Should Dictate How We Manage Funds

Published by Tope Fakinlede on October 12th, 2024.

Adamawa Governor Defends Local Government Spending Autonomy: “No One Should Dictate How We Manage Funds

Ahmadu Fintiri, the Governor of Adamawa State, has asserted that the Federal Government and the National Assembly have no authority to dictate how local governments allocate their funds.

In a recent interview on Channels TV’s Hard Copy, Fintiri defended the practice of state and local governments pooling resources for joint projects through a consolidated account. He questioned the rationale behind imposing restrictions on local governance, asking, “Who dictates to the Federal Government how to spend its budget? If local governments agree to collaborate on a project and allocate funds for it, what’s wrong with that?”

Responding to recent Senate comments on this issue, Fintiri suggested that the Senate was unnecessarily complicating matters instead of addressing pressing concerns affecting everyday citizens, such as electricity tariffs and proposed new taxes. He noted that autonomy for local governments had already been affirmed by the Supreme Court, and he emphasized that his administration has been committed to transparency, regularly publishing the financial allocations to local governments since he took office.