By DANJUMA JOSEPH, Lafia –
Nasarawa State Commissioner of Local Government, Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Alhaji Yusuf Aliyu Turaki, and The Commissioner for Finance, Daniel Agyeno and State Accountant General, Zakka Yakubu, have been summoned by the Nasarawa House of Assembly, to appear before it on Tuesday at the assembly chamber.
The summon, according to the assembly, is to enable them explain how the State Financial, Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability ( SFTAS) Funds, Ecological funds, State Internal Generated Revenue ( IGR) and Paris Club were received and disbursed amongst the tiers of government, especially that which affect LG.
The Speaker of the House, Rt.Hon Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, summoned the government officials after Hon Muhammed Agah Muluku, Chief Whip of the House moved a motion to that effect on the matters of public importance during the House proceedings in Lafia, Monday.
The Speaker said that inviting the government officials was not a witch hunt exercise but to enable them explain vividly how the funds are being used between the state and LGA in the state.
The Speaker said their appearance was also to ensure that the right things are done in order to ensure speedy development at the grassroots.
He said: ” I want to appreciate Hon Muluku and all of you for your positive contributions on this subject matters.
” I have said it severally, that we are all elected to represent our people well at this state assembly.
” The people we are representing will judge us, posterity will judge us and God will judge us based on our actions and inactions, these are judgements that await us.
” In the process of discharging our duties, we will receive condemnations and insults from people who do not understands legislative work and activities.
” Unfortunately, some of our people will not understand the role of legislative. We are doing our best to protect the system and let them say what they want to say.
” But How can we allow something that was for local government to be diverted somewhere, we have to investigate that .
” It is in view of this, that we invite the State Commissioner for Local Government, Community Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, the Commissioner for Finance, and Accountant General to appear before us tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept.27, 2022 by 10am at the chamber, ” he said
He said that the assembly has passed a law on how state finances should be disbursed among the tiers of government in the state especially the LG law and will not seat and watch the abuse of the laws passed by the House.
The Speaker assured the state government of continued partnership for the good of the state, stressing that the House in doing that will not do what will be detrimental to development and the lives of the people of the state.
In their contributions at the floor of the House , Hon Mohammed Okpoku, Hon Daniel Ogazi and Hon David Maiyaki, lamented on how lack of finances at the local government level has affected development at the grassroots.
They said that, if urgent steps are not taken, the aim of establishing local government would be defeated.
They also lamented on how chairmen of local government and overseers of development areas cannot execute projects and perform their duties effectively due to lack of funds at their disposals.
Earlier, Hon Muhammed Agah Muluku, the Chief Whip of the House while raising the issue for lack of physical development at the local government level over matters of public interest said that there was the need for those involved in managing government funds to explain how Financial, Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability ( SFTAS) Funds, Ecological fund, Internal Generated Revenue (IGR) and Paris club were received and utilized by the tiers of government in the state.
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