Any local government chairman discovered embezzling funds from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee faces jail time, according to threats from the federal government.
Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, revealed this on Thursday.
At the Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria’s 17th anniversary annual lecture event in Abuja, Fagbemi stated that none of the chairmen had immunity and that they would all face jail term if they tampered with the money intended for the development of their councils.
He said, “Well, we have a situation on 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 (LG chairmen).
“If they want to tamper with these funds and end up in jail, it is their choice. If they want to write their names in letters of gold, activities like construction or road upgrades must be returned to the local government. They don’t all have to come to Abuja.
“If they stay at the local government, we will be able to reduce the level of insecurity that we have in Nigeria today. What obtains offshore is that the security agents are able to perform optimally because of information that comes to them from members of the public and usually it is from the grassroots.”
