Local Government Councils have remained hopeless over the years in bringing development to the people, as state governors allegedly take over their allocations from the Federal Government. Afe Babalola, SAN, the founder of Afe Babalola University in Ado-Ekiti, ABUAD, has charged the FG to ensure that LGs in the country receive their allocations directly from the federation account, so as to enable it to revive agriculture and boost the economy.
Babalola averred this during the opening of the “Eighth Edition of the Afe Babalola Agricultural Expo, ABAEX”; an annual gathering of farmers for possible support.
He explained that releasing funds to the Council Areas would enable the administrators to contribute to the socioeconomic development of the communities, especially supporting farmers.
Babalola said, “I am suggesting that local government areas should be empowered. Each Local Government should set up farming equipment for farmers to hire. They should also earmark large hectares of land for the farmers to farm.”
“When I was a councilor in those days; Local Government funds used to come directly to them. We all know what has been happening to their money.”
He urged President Tinubu to ensure that Local Government allocation gets to them directly and not through the Governors, in order to encourage farming through modern equipment that thrives agriculture for food security.
The Chairman of the Local Organizing Committee, Professor Abiodun Ojo, said that the vision of ABAEX is essentially to encourage excellence and sustainable performance among the farmers in Ekiti State while increasing value addition across all agricultural products.
