BORNO – Governor Babagana Umara Zulum has approved the immediate commencement of direct payment of monthly statutory allocations to accounts of Borno State’s 27 local councils.
The approval was announced by the acting governor, Dr Umar Usman Kadafur, yesterday, after presiding over the swearing-in of 27 newly elected local government chairpersons.
Kadafur, who underscored the Governor Zulum-led administration’s commitment to strengthening democratic institutions at the grassroots level, explained that the directive followed strict adherence to the Supreme Court’s judgment and President Bola Tinubu’s December 2025 call to state governors.
He noted that it was designed to empower local government chairmen by giving them direct access to their funds.
The acting governor stated, “You should be accessible to your people. You know our governor is dedicated to developing our state.
“We are looking up to you at the grassroots to make sure whatever goes to the chairman of a local government, it should be transparent and accountable for every naira and kobo you receive. Borno State, I dare you: Borno is the only state where local governments receive their allocations directly.
“This is a credit to His Excellency and is out of transparency to ensure that governance requires collective hands on deck. He believes in the local government administrative process, which is why he approved giving you the money directly so you can go and work. The era of local government complaining about bureaucracy in approving funds for you is gone.
“We will continue to publish whatever is given to local government areas as part of our transparency in the state, so that you should be held accountable for every resource you have collected on behalf of the people.”
