Adams Oshiomhole, the Senator representing the Edo North senatorial district, has thrown his weight of support behind the financial autonomy recently granted to local government areas in the country.
Speaking at a forum on local government autonomy organized by the House of Representatives on Monday, Mr Oshiomhole emphasized the significant responsibilities of local government chairmen, given their proximity to the people.
Mr Oshiomhole said: “It’s better to have 774 local government chairmen who are thieves than one big thief.”
According to him, with this, every local government in Nigeria will produce one or two billionaires, rather than having just one billionaire in the state.
The former governor of Edo State, therefore, advised the local government chairmen to allocate resources wisely for essential infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, and other public services.
Recall that the Supreme Court had affirmed the financial autonomy of the country’s 774 local government areas.
It upheld the suit brought by the federal government to strengthen the independence of local governments in the country.
