Kwankwaso: My Govt Will Not Allow State Govs to Suffocate Local Govt Financially 

Adedayo Akinwale and Juliet Akoje

The Presidential candidate of the New Nigerian Peoples Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso had assured that his government would not allow the state governors to suffocate the local governments financially if elected.

The federal government through the Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Clement Agba recently claimed  that state governors were responsible for the rising poverty rate in the country, especially with the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) had recently disclosed that 133 million Nigerians were poor

But the 36 state governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) fired back by saying  the federal govern  abandoned its promise and primary responsibility to the citizens due to its failure to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty as it had promised, as well as the inability of the federal government to protect farmers from terrorists. 

But speaking at the Arise News Presidential Town Hall Series III, which centred on Education, Healthcare, Poverty and Human Capital, Kwankwaso said there was a need to look at the Constitution in order to ensure provisions could be made whereby the local government authorities can get their money derived from the Federation Account.