How LGs Can Boost Farming – Afe Babalola, Wants Direct Release Of Councils’ Fund To Them

By Ayodele Oni

Founder of Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti, (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, has observed that one of the obstacles hindering development in rural areas is non release of their allocations directly to them.

There have been efforts by stakeholders to ensure direct release of allocations from the federation account to local governments but frustrated by states.

The legal luminary advised President Bola Tinubu to ensure that local governments areas in the country receive their allocations directly from the federation account, to revive agriculture and boost the economy.

He pointed out that local councils have remained ineffective over the years in bringing development to the people, due to the activities of the governors who allegedly hijacked their allocations.

The ABUAD founder spoke, while declaring open the eighth edition of the Afe Babalola Agricultural Expo, (ABAEX), an annual gathering of farmers, where they would be empowered.

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.

“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 councillor, in those days, local government funds used to come directly to them. We all know what has been happening to their money.

“I think the current president, Bola Tinubu, should do all he can to ensure that local government allocation gets to them directly and not through the governors because they governors steal a lot.

“No parent will send their children to school, some to masters and PhD level, only to come back and be asked to use cutlass to farm.

“The best the government can do now to revive agriculture is to buy modern implements to encourage people to farm. If local government funds get to them they will be able to buy tractors for the people to rent it.”