Bauchi Governor, Bala Mohammed, Calls Out President Tinubu Over Local Government Autonomy
Naijawebinfo has learned that the federal government recently secured a Supreme Court ruling granting local governments financial independence, a move that has sparked mixed reactions.
Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, has weighed in on the issue, clarifying the role of governors in Nigerian politics. According to him, governors are often misunderstood and exercise less power than commonly perceived. In a recent interview, he pointed out that the president wields significant control over the country’s resources.
He emphasized that governors, while serving as chief executives in their respective states, are limited in their authority. Mohammed believes that President Tinubu’s actions have further diminished the powers of governors, stating that they are no longer as assertive as they once were.
“When I look at the situation now, I’m reminded of the days when I was part of the cabinet of President Ibrahim Babangida. At that time, governors were expected to provide insight and direction to the presidency. Now, it’s the other way around. President Tinubu dictates what we should or shouldn’t do, and we’re expected to comply without question. This diminishes our authority and compromises our ability to effectively govern our states,” Mohammed said.
He added that governors are not as powerful as people assume, pointing out that the federal government controls the country’s resources and often uses them as they see fit. Mohammed argued that this misguided priority allocation hinders state governments from making progress, as they are forced to rely on limited resources.
“People assume that governors are powerful, but the reality is that we’re constantly struggling to make ends meet. We have limited resources, and everyone looks to us for solutions, especially in smaller states like Bauchi, which doesn’t have a strong manufacturing base. We respect the president, but we also expect him to respect us and not treat us like mere puppets,” Mohammed concluded.
