From Dispatch Room
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr. Monday Ubani, has accused state governments of interfering with funds meant for local governments, saying the practice is worsening poverty in rural communities across Nigeria.
Ubani made the allegation during an interview on *Frontline*, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu.
He said the suffering experienced in many rural communities is not accidental but the result of systemic interference with statutory allocations meant for local councils.
According to him, local governments are constitutionally entitled to funding, but this principle is often undermined in practice.
Ubani, a former chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development Law, said development at the grassroots becomes impossible when local government funds are withheld, diverted or controlled by state governments.
He argued that the consequences are most visible in rural areas, where basic infrastructure such as roads, electricity, healthcare and schools remain inadequate.
“If the state governors are releasing the money meant for local governments, Nigeria would be a beautiful country,” he said.
Ubani said many rural dwellers are forced to migrate to urban centres because governance is not felt at the grassroots.
He stressed that local governments are supposed to be the closest tier of government to the people and should play a central role in development.
The senior lawyer said that closeness has been weakened by what he described as financial strangulation of local councils.
According to him, funds allocated to local governments are often retained or controlled at the state level, affecting service delivery in health, education and rural infrastructure.
He said the absence of functional local government autonomy has created a vacuum in grassroots governance and deepened poverty in rural Nigeria.
“What Nigerians require is just good roads and light, especially in the rural areas,” Ubani said.
He argued that properly funded local governments could provide these basic amenities and stimulate rural economies.
Ubani also criticised what he called misplaced priorities in governance, saying more attention should be paid to rural electrification and road connectivity rather than only large-scale projects.
He said decentralised development remains essential to reducing inequality between urban and rural communities.
The SAN further argued that Nigeria’s economic hardship is worsened when grassroots development is neglected.
According to him, “there is so much money being allocated, but the local governments are not getting it.”
He said proper disbursement and utilisation of local government funds would reduce urban migration and promote community-level economic growth.
Ubani maintained that Nigeria’s development challenges are not caused by lack of resources but by poor management of available funds.
“Nigerians are not lazy,” he said, adding that citizens only need enabling infrastructure to thrive.
He concluded that national development would remain stunted unless local government funds are properly utilised for the benefit of rural communities.
— Newspot Nigeria
