Northern Senators Forum has cautioned Federal government not to tamper with allocations meant for the three states and local government areas in the North East geopolitical zones covered by the emergency rule proclamation.
Giving this warning on behalf of the forum at the end of its close door meeting in Abuja yesterday, its chairman, Senator Umaru Dahiru (Sokoto South) said the forum would not want Federal government to tamper with allocations meant for the affected states and local government during the period of emergency rule.
“We want to emphasize that the two chambers of the National Assembly agreed that all democratic institutions in the affected states comprising the state Assemblies, the governors and Local governments should remain in place are not touched and while the emergency rule last funds allocated to the states and local governments must remain untouched,” he noted.
He further added,” Federal government should ensure that funds belonging to the states and Local government should be touched because these states are already faced with some financial difficulties and so touching any of their money will make it more difficult for the governors to run the states and more difficult for the people within the states.”
According to the lawmaker,”We feel that we must send this clear signal to the federal government to concur with the resolution of the National Assembly o funds of any of the effected states and local governments covered by the emergency rule should be touched.”
He noted that Senate resolution on the emergency rule stipulates that the” issue of taking away funds from these given states and local government should never happen and we want to assure you that we will never allow it to happen. “
He recalled that the president of the senate, Senator David Mark at the presentation of the senate’s resolution cautioned that no funds of the affected states and local governments should be tampered with during the period of emergency rule adding,” I want to assure you that we stand by it and we will never allow it to happen. We want to make sure that the sufferings of the people living in those areas are cushioned and we want as quickly as possible for this emergency rule to end as soon as possible.
