The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has accused state governors in Nigeria of fueling under development of the rural areas.
Buhari stated this at a meeting with members of the Senior Executive Course No.44(2022) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, held at the State House Banquet Hall Abuja on Thursday.
He said, “some state governors receive monies on behalf of local government councils in their states and remit half of it to the council Chairman, who eventually pilfers from the remnant, leaving nothing for developmental projects.
‘‘I found it necessary to digress after reading my speech and this digression is a result of my personal experience.
‘‘What they did, this is my personal experience, if the money from the Federation Account to the State is about N100m, N50m will be sent to the Chairman, but he will sign that he received N100m. The Governor will pocket the balance and share it with whoever he wants to share it with.
‘‘And then the Chairman of the local government must see how much he must pay in salaries and to hell with development. When he pays the salaries of the big man, the balance he will put in his pocket.
‘‘This is what’s happening. This is Nigeria. It’s a terrible thing; you cannot say the person who was doing this is not educated. He was a qualified lawyer, he was experienced, yet he participated in this type of corruption.”
“So it’s a matter of conscience, whichever level we find ourselves. As a leader, you sit here, with all the sacrifices the country is making by putting you through institutions and getting you ready to lead. The fundamental thing is personal integrity. May God help us,” Buhari added.
