Renowned legal expert Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, appealed to President Bola Tinubu on Thursday, urging him to take concrete steps to ensure that local government areas in the nation receive their allocations directly from the federation account, a move aimed at reenergizing agriculture and fortifying the economy.
Babalola made this statement during the commencement of the eighth edition of the Afe Babalola Agricultural Expo, ABAEX, an annual event that brings together farmers for empowerment by the founder of ABUAD.
Babalola raised the issue of local councils’ prolonged ineffectiveness in delivering development to the populace, citing the alleged misappropriation of their allocations by governors as the primary cause.
He clarified that disbursing funds to the council areas would empower the administrators to actively participate in the socioeconomic advancement of the communities, with a particular focus on aiding farmers.
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He said, ‘I am suggesting that local government areas should be empowered. Each local government should set up farming equipment for farmers to hire. They should also earmark large hectares of land for the farmers to farm.’
‘When I was a councillor, in those days, local government funds used to come directly to them. We all know what has been happening to their money.’
‘I think the current president (Bola Tinubu) should do all he can to ensure that local government allocation gets to them directly and not through the governors because they (governors) steal a lot. No parent will send their children to school, some to masters and PhD level, only to come back and be asked to use cutlass to farm.’
‘The best the government can do now to revive agriculture is to buy modern implements to encourage people to farm. If local government funds get to them they will be able to buy tractors for the people to rent.’