Governors Urged To Respect Tinubu’s Directive On Councils’ Autonomy

A former local government chairman and Director of Finance at the Hadejia Jama’are River Basin Development Authority, Dr Musa Illiyasu Kwankwaso, has urged state governors to respect President Bola Tinubu’s directive on local government financial autonomy.

He said it was critical to grassroots development and national stability.

Kwankwaso, who served two consecutive terms as chairman of Madobi local government area in Kano State during the administration of Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, said the president’s stance was statesmanlike and demonstrated a clear understanding of Nigeria’s development challenges.According to him, direct access to funds would enable councils to address unemployment, strengthen community security and deliver basic infrastructure. He said with financial autonomy, councils could employ idle youths, support local vigilante groups and execute people-oriented projects.

“If local governments receive their allocations directly, they can initiate projects at their level that truly empower the people. They can build hospitals, schools and also provide adequate security for their communities,” he said.

Kwankwaso recalled that during his tenure about two decades ago, the Madobi local government area received approximately N30 million monthly, out of which N9 million was used to pay salaries. At the same time, the balance was deployed to projects that, he said, are still standing.

He expressed concern that despite receiving significantly higher allocations today—running into over N1 billion—many local governments had little to show for it, attributing this to state control of council funds.

He stressed that local government financial autonomy was not merely a presidential directive but a constitutional matter backed by a Supreme Court judgment, urging governors to comply in order to uphold the rule of law.