Funding
Bolaji Buhari
Lagos, April 29,2018(NAN) Alhaji Fathiu Salisu, the Chairman of Ijede Local Council Development Area, Ikorodu, Lagos, has urged Local Governments to explore creative ways to shore up their internally generated revenue to get more funding for their commitments.
Salisu gave the advice in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.
He said councils might not achieve much if they relied heavily on allocations from the Federal Government to fund their development programmes.
He described the local government as the closest tier of government to the grassroots with great potential to impact on many lives.
The chairman, however, said the expectations of the people would be hard to meet if local government councils lacked adequate funding.
“The local government is the closest tier of government to the people with so many responsibilities.
“These responsibilities could not be met adequately if resources are lacking to fund projects and programmes.
“My advice to councils is that we should look inwards and shore up our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
“We should not rely solely on allocations from the Federal Government, as that will not take us far, ” he said.
He said he had increased the IGR of Ijede LCDA from N600,000 monthly to N2 million in nine months.
Salisu, who explained that he deployed his experience in the civil service to block all revenue leakages to improve the IGR, said he expanded the tax net and got compliance from residents to achieve the feat.
He said Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode provided inspiration for him and other council chairmen in the state to improve sources of funding in order to deliver the goods.
While urging people at the grassroots to participate in the electoral process in order to elect leaders of their choice, Salisu admonished them to ensure they obtain the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).
He urged stakeholders such as Churches, Mosques and democracy-oriented groups to sensitise people to the need to partake in the process.
Salisu said the council, on its part, would organise campaigns to educate the people on the importance of the PVCs and participation in the general elections. (NAN)
BHB/MA/AMY
Edited by Muftau Adediran and Abdullahi Yusuf