From Godwin Tsa Abuja
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has maintained that any serving local government chairman or councillor that tampers with the money released from Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) would be prosecuted and send to prison.
Fagbemi expressed fear that while the money will now be going directly to the local governments, the chairmen at the helm of affairs might be under some pressure to divert it.
He spoke in Abuja on Friday at the validation meeting of the Reviewed National Anti-Corruption Strategy (NACS) 2022- 2026 Action Plan.
The AGF noted that while credit must be given to the Supreme Court for giving a very resounding judgment in favour of local government funds immediately going directly to the local government, there are still some issues.
He observed that local government chairmen might want to divert the funds amid state pressure. But he explained that whereas state governors enjoy immunity in office, LG chairmen do not.
He then seized the moment to issue jail threats to serving LG chairmen who divert local government funds.
He said: “Well, we have a situation in our hands, I know that it is still there; the conduct of elections is to be undertaken by the states.
“But the distinction is this: Don’t forget, the governors have immunity, the local government council chairmen or councillors, they have no immunity, so they have to choose between dealing with the funds of the local government as they like and risking going to jail. The choice is theirs.
“If they want to tamper with these funds and end up in jail, it is their choice. Or if they want to write their names in letters of gold; activities like construction or upgrading of roads must return to the local government. They don’t all have to come to Abuja.”
Fagbemi disclosed that the framework for the NACS Action Plan implementation is focused on five pillars, which serve as the driving force for both the public and private sector and the national and subnational levels of government.