The Patriotic Nigeria Youth Forum (PNYF) has launched the “Track Local Government Funds” project to ensure accountability in the third tier of government.
Its action followed the decisive Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to all local government areas (LGAs) in the country.
In a press release signed by Comrade Olamide Odumosu and distributed to journalists in Abuja shortly after the court ruling, the group commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for understanding that development has to start at the grassroots and for being determined to solve Nigeria’s problems.
“As patriotic partners in progress, we have a role to play in complementing government efforts. Without a monitoring mechanism on the ground, cases of abuse are bound to happen, hence the need to launch the Track Local Government Funds (TLGF).
“A TLGF Team will be on the ground across all the 774 LGAs across the country to ensure that funds allocated to Local Councils are used strictly for the development of the grassroots. Our goal is to prevent the rot that has become common with state governors. Fortunately, LG chairmen do not have immunity like governors”, the release noted.
The group further revealed that the TLGF Team would be reporting on the ground in real time concerning allocated funds, internally generated revenues and expenditures of LGAs in line with its core values of transparency, as failure to comply will prompt the involvement of security agencies.