By Wole Mosadomi

Minna—GOVERNOR Abubakar Bello of Niger State has described the joint account being operated by some state and local governments in the country as fraud and an avenue to perpetrate corruption.

Governor Abubakar Bello of Niger State

Speaking at a town hall meeting in Minna yesterday to address various problems facing the state, the governor declared that with the economic problems facing the state, the citizens should brace up for the challenges ahead to experience the much needed developments in the state.

According him: “Joint Account is an avenue for corruption. We have to change this idea and allow them to be autonomous. I am not interested in local government money. They should be allowed to manage their funds and even encouraged to improve on their Internally Generated Revenue.”

Bello said for the past months, the state had been left with no option than to go cap in hand to borrow from some commercial banks to pay salaries of workers, pointing that the financial prospect of the state was very bleak judging from the financial mess the country had found itself and called on residents to brace up.

Some commissioners, including that of Finance, Local Government, Chairman SUBEB, Head of Service gave a breakdown of income and expenses of the state from January to buttress the submission of the Governor on the problems confronting the state.

Some of the participants also had the opportunity of  either contributing on a way forward or asking questions on some grey areas which the governor proffered solutions to.