Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has urged Nigerians to demand accountability from the Federal, state and local governments over the increase in revenue accruing to the three tiers of government.
Falana said the rise in government revenue had yet to translate into corresponding improvements in the living conditions of Nigerians, urging citizens to question how the additional funds were being spent.
The activist spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, where he questioned what governments were doing with the extra revenue available to them.
Falana cited the condition of a road leading to Afe Babalola University in Ekiti State, questioning why residents were asking the Federal Government to fix the road when the local government in the area had received substantial funds.
“I was just reading some news about a particular road in Ekiti State, the road that leads to Afe Babalola University. And everybody there is asking the Abuja people to come and fix the road, whereas between January and May this year, that local government has taken about N5.4 billion,” he said.
He questioned why part of the allocation could not be used to fix the road, arguing that the project should not cost more than N500m.
“So you can’t fix a road with less than N500 million naira? And in any case, state governments were fixing roads, and they would then go to Abuja to ask for a refund,” Falana said.
The lawyer said Nigerians should begin to hold each tier of government accountable for its responsibilities instead of always looking to the Federal Government to address problems within the jurisdiction of state and local governments.
“We must begin to ask questions of the local government, the state government, and the Federal Government,” he said.
Falana also questioned the benefits of the removal of fuel subsidy, saying Nigerians should not be continually asked to wait for the gains of economic reforms while many citizens struggle with worsening living conditions. Punch
