The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Autonomy

  • ECA insists on regional autonomy

    The Eastern Consultative Assembly (ECA) rose yesterday from a crucial meeting in Enugu over the quit notice served on the Igbo living in the North,  calling for restructuring and regional autonomy.

    The meeting was attended by affiliate groups of the ECA coalition, youth groups, students associations, traditional rulers, traders organisations, women groups, town unions, NGOs and professional bodies.

    A communique signed by its deputy leader, Mrs. Maria Okwor, and the publicity secretary, Rev. Fr. John Odey, said: “The quite expected difficulty by certain sections of the country to recover from the shock of the successful May 30th sit-at-home ordered by Mazi Nnamdi Kanu and the paranoia exhibited by these oppressors and their agents, through a thoughtless quit order on Ndigbo in the North and pressure mounted by the national security community on our neighbours to issue press releases (usually for a fee) distancing themselves from our people, in a failed attempt to isolate us, is not lost on anybody.

    “These childish actions are confirmation that the total compliance of our people during the May 30th sit-at-home has sent jitters down the spine of the oppressors, who have just learnt that Nigeria’s artificial, unjust, unworkable and lopsided unitary structure, created solely by unelected soldiers of fortune, cannot survive much longer.

    “A new constitution anchored on regional autonomy is the only route open to save Nigeria. It does not matter that the oppressors, who have consistently shown the world, that, they are only good at mishandling self-determination agitations by always applying the wrong strategy, is at their usual folly again. What truly matters, is that the oppressed have resolved to get justice and nothing else. Forty-seven years of servitude, for losing a war, is enough punishment; nothing will make this generation accept second class citizenship anymore. The oppressor can continue to beat around the bush, for as much as they like. ‘They must come back to the truth: Nigeria must restructure….’

    “The ECA commends the Southeast governors, Ohaneze Ndigbo leadership, our friends and lovers of truth from the Middle Belt, the Southwest, the Niger Delta and beyond, for standing by our people as we are asked to quit the North.

    “The ECA assures the northern leaders who reprimanded and disowned the ‘quit notice givers’, that everybody knows, that the emotions that inspired the quit order is so deep seated, and stagnation as a result of the faulty, unitary structure, are so fundamental, that the platitude from right thinking Northern folks, who called for peace and calm without addressing the real truth, cannot and will not solve the problem.

    “The 47-year-old humiliating experience in Nigeria is unacceptable, we cannot take it anymore. Death, in the process of fighting for our honour and dignity is better than eternal slavery. We are tired of Nigeria as presently constituted.

    “We simply do not wish to transfer our second class status to our progeny. Period.”

  • Monarch backs NULGE’s call for autonomy

    Monarch backs NULGE’s call for autonomy

    The Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi has supported the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) over the call for Local Government autonomy, saying the traditional institution was  ready to support every move by the union.

    Speaking during a courtesy visit to his palace, Oba Ogunwusi said the advocacy by the union through the traditional rulers was long overdue.

    “Your advocacy is long overdue. You should have engaged the traditional institutions to right the wrong because we are all interested in development of the entire population. The closest government to the people are the local government authorities.

    “I assure you we will work together to get it to a logical conclusion. This is because you are being denied your right and you keep quiet, it is not right. If all the 774 local governments can be properly funded, development will spread faster than envisaged,” he concluded.

    National President of NULGE, Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel, said the union has embarked upon nationwide advocacy campaign due to the poor state of Local Government administration across the country.

    According to him, “We are here to pay homage and take the advocacy to palaces and royal fathers and we are starting from here. The role of this palace in the country shows that it is not by accident or sheer coincidence, but deliberately chosen baring in mind how close the palace is to the people and God we all serve.

    “You will agree, your majesty, that the purpose of creating local governments has been defeated and we think as workers we must make people know. We want better constitutional reforms to make local governments perform better.

    “The process and the fund meant for local government administration have been hijacked and it is time for all Nigerians to come together and canvass through a peaceful process for a better local government administration.”

    Comrade Khaleel argued that local government administration has suffered in the hands of governors due to the lacuna in the 1999 Constitution as amended.

    He emphasised five major areas where he sought for Oba Ogunwusi’s support, which include: expungement of state independent national electoral commission and allows only the INEC to conduct state elections; expungement of constitutional provision that established state/local governments joint accounts.

  • Amend constitution to guarantee council autonomy, says Akande

    Amend constitution to guarantee council autonomy, says Akande

    Local government councils will be accountable to their people, if they are elected. Caretaker committees are only accountable to their appointing authorities.

    A former Chief of Staff to Oyo State governor and Visiting Professor of Political Science at Igbinedion University, Okada, Edo State,  Adeolu Akande,  has advocated local government autonomy as the panacea to the problem of local government administration in the country.

    Akande, who was a guest on a television programme monitored in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital at the weekend, said the local government system has failed to achieve the objective of grassroots development because of three factors.

    He listed these as lack of autonomy, direct financial allocation from the federation account and the failure to elect local government councils, explaining that the three factors boiled down to the issue of local government autonomy.

    “Local government councils will be accountable to their people, if they are elected. Caretaker committees are only accountable to their appointing authorities,” he said, explaining that it is when a government is accountable to the people that it is motivated to perform to the expectation of the people.

    He said the failure to make direct financial allocation to local government councils also inhibit local government performance.”The Joint State-Local government account system denies local councils the opportunity to determine projects that are relevant to their people. The situation where state governments award uniform projects for all local government areas is a negation of the principle of grassroots development that undergirds the creation of local councils as third tier of government,” he said.

    He suggested that the Joint State-Local Government account should be abolished while administrative guidelines are stipulated for the payment of teachers and other workers’ salaries as first line charge on local government accounts.

    Akande said the constitution should be amended to allow the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) or a new national electoral body comprising representatives of states and political parties to conduct local government elections.

    He said the current system where ruling parties at the state level win all local government  elections that they conduct does not promote democracy, good governance and competent leadership at the local government level.”It is indefensible that no ruling party in any of the 36 states has ever lost a local government election in their state. This clearly makes a mockery of our democracy and there is need for an urgent review of this electoral embarrassment”, he submitted.

    Akande, who is also the Director of the Centre for Presidential Studies at Igbinedion University, said the conduct of local government  election by state governments had denied the third tier of government the opportunity to recruit competent and accountable leadership at that level. “The caretaker system has denied the people the opportunity of electing leaders of their choice at the local level. This is against the provisions and spirit of the 1999 Constitution,” he said, arguing that the conception of local government as a training ground for leadership at higher levels of government is lost because democratic tenets of governance are not allowed to blossom at the local government level.

    Speaking on the situation in Oyo State, Prof. Akande explained that the autonomy of local government could have been ensured, if local council elections had been held. He claimed that the governor had triggered the process of election twice but the process was truncated by court processes. “The governor triggered the process in 2011 but a court case instituted by the members of the state electoral Panel constituted by Governor Ladoja but dismissed by Governor Alao Akala resulted in a court injunction against the new Commission  constituted  by Governor Ajimobi.

    “The governor triggered the process for council elections again in 2016, but some parties aggrieved with provisions of the Local Council Development Authorities (LCDA’s) got a court injunction against the conduct of the election. He expressed the confidence that the resolution of the court case would restore local government autonomy in Oyo State.

  • NUPENG demands local govt autonomy

    NUPENG demands local govt autonomy

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) has called on the Federal Government to give autonomy to the 774 local governments in the country.

    In a statement by its President, Comrade Igwe Achese, the union said it believed that  local governments autonomy would ensure   accountability and  rapid infrastructural development.

    He said the autonomy would make the local government chairmen and councillors more responsive and acceptable to the people at the grassroots.

    The union condemned in its entirety the action of governors, who allegedly remove duly elected local government chairmen and councillors at will, noting that granting them autonomy would put a stop to it.

    NUPENG also said the autonomy would make sure that direct allocation from the Federation Account are paid directly to local governments, thereby putting a stop to the hijack by governors.

    The union said such direct allocations to the local government chairmen and councillors would ensure prompt payment of salaries and allowances to workers as at when due.

    NUPENG, therefore, appealed to the Federal Government to urgently revisit the issue and grant local governments full autonomy to guarantee grassroot development.

  • NULGE begins nationwide protests over autonomy

    NULGE begins nationwide protests over autonomy

    The National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has begun its nationwide protests to drum up support for local government autonomy. The union has scheduled a rally in each of the six geo-political zones and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    To NULGE, the protests are a subtle advocacy to create awareness and achieve local government autonomy.

    NULGE, an advocate of local government autonomy, said  it was imperative for it to take the protests to the doorstep of the Houses of Assembly, which are critical to  constitution amendment.

    During the Seventh National Assembly, many state assemblies voted against local government autonomy. The proposal for local government autonomy lapsed since two-thirds of the 36 states did not endorse it.

    NULGE President, Ibrahim Kahleel, said the union began the protest in Nasarawa State in the Northcentral Zone last week.

    He said the advocacy became necessary to ensure that the local governments are politically, financially and administratively autonomous in line with global standard practice.

    Khaleel said the campaign, through the protest, had become one of the most viable options for Nigerians, especially the local government workers, to draw attention to what could be described as the re-colonisation of the people.

    “This rally is expected to end with a meeting with the members of Lagos State House of Assembly, where the union will present its position and make submission to the Speaker. The union will be canvassing major amendments to the constitution, which the union believes will rescue the local government from the state governors and underdevelopment.

    “NULGE wants all the contradictory provisions of the 1999 constitution (as amended) that allow for the confusion and manipulation of local government system by state governments erased,” he said.

    He said the union would insist on strict observance of the provision of Section 7, especially the provisions on elected councils.

    He said: “The constitution should be reviewed such that a provision caters for structure, functions, composition, establishment, funding, status and other matters that affect local governments, rather than delegating it to the state governments or Houses of Assembly.”

    He urged President Muhammadu Buhari to intervene in the realisation of local government autonomy.

    According to him, one of the demands at the United Nations (UN) meeting was that the local governments across the world be made to be autonomous in line with the democratic principles.

    He said: ‘’Therefore, we have agreed to protest across the six geopolitical zones at the designated centres.

    ”Those other provisions that contradict full autonomy should be expunged from the constitution to avoid the serious contradictions. For instance, the structure, finance, establishment, composition and functions of LGAs should not be vested in the state governments or state Houses of Assembly, but in the Constitution in view of Section 5 that proposes vesting executive powers of the local government council in the chairman.

    “The Constitutional provision on the existence and functions of the State Independent Electoral Commission should be expunged completely in the 1999 constitution because they have become the instruments of anti-democratic practices by state governments,’’ hr added.

  • Benue ready for local government autonomy

    Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has said the state is ready to grant local governments autonomy once the National Assembly passes the bill.

    Ortom gave the hint yesterday when he hosted National President of National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel, at the Benue People’s House.

    Ortom said his administration had started implementing autonomy for local governments through transparent management of resources.

    “We will not interfere with local government funds. I was a local government chairman; once the people express their desire for local government autonomy, I will go with them,” he said.

    According to him, his transparency in money matters, by involving workers and their leaders in sharing every kobo, speaks volumes, even as he acknowledged the positive roles of NULGE to his administration.

    Comrade Khaleel lauded Ortom for being transparent in his management of state affairs.

    He praised him for carrying union leaders along inthe utilisation of funds, adding that when granted, local government autonomy would ease governance.

    Khaleel urged the governor to continue to be honest.

  • NULGE plans protest over autonomy

    NULGE plans protest over autonomy

    The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) will soon embark on a nationwide protest in support of the ongoing constitutional amendment by the National Assembly to grant autonomy to local government areas (LGAs).
    Its President, Ibrahim Khaleel Abdulkadir, told The Nation, that the protest is one of the advocacy activities mapped out to ensure that the LGAs were autonomous in line with the global best practice.
    “One of the demands at the United Nations meeting was that LGAs across the world should be made autonomous in line with democratic principles,” he said.
    Against this backdrop, the NULGE leader said the union leadership had agreed to protest across the six geopolitical zones of the country at the designated centres.
    The centres include Calabar (Southsouth); Enugu (Southeast); Osogbo (Southwest); Ilorin (Northcentral); and Jalingo (Northeast).
    He urged the union at the state and LGA levels to conduct similar protests, adding that the union would collaborate with the National Assembly to ensure LGA autonomy became a reality.
    Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has said the House is working to grant financial autonomy to LGAs in ongoing constitution amendment exercise because that is the only way to guarantee development at the grassroots.
    Dogara also charged local government workers to step up the agitation, saying only through their individual and collective efforts would the desired change be achieved.
    He gave this charge when he received the national executive members of NULGE at the National Assembly.
    The speaker noted that no progress can be achieved in the local government if the status quo of interference and administration by state governors is retained, adding that local governments must be financially and politically autonomous to trigger development in the rural areas.
    He said: “It is a responsibility all of us owe to our people. As a matter of fact, we are not even doing it for you; we are doing it for the Nigerian people. And the way local government administration is in Nigeria, I must say it is truly a stab on the conscience of every true democrat. It doesn’t matter whether you are the president if you are a senator, a member of the House, a leader of any of these institutions or in the judiciary.”
    Dogara said some governors opposed to local government autonomy fear that local governments would collapse if their administration is handed over to the elected chairmen.
    He added that progress can never be madeby maintaining the status quo adding that the House has chosen to ensure that ongoing constitution amendment exercise captured the yearnings of Nigerians for development in the grassroots.
    “For us as representatives of the people, we have heard the cry of the people and we know that the only way we can add value to local government is by giving them political and financial independence. This will expand opportunities in the grassroots,” he said.
    The NULGE delegation commended the Speaker for leading the campaign and advocacy for local government autonomy and described him as a patriot and statesman.
    He called on Dogara to ensure that the ongoing constitution amendment captures local government autonomy, adding that he should involve all stakeholders that can bring it to fruition, including President Muhammadu Buhari, who is best-placed to ensure that governors stop the violation of the constitutionally provided roles of local government officials.

  • Dogara and local government autonomy

    SIR: The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon. Yakubu Dogara is championing a worthy but difficult cause- amendment of the 1999 constitution to grant political and financial autonomy to the 774 local governments in Nigeria.

    Dogara and his colleagues’ efforts are coming at the right time because the local government system in Nigeria is not working. The reason is mainly due to state governments’ overwhelming control of this third tier of government through the operation of the unpopular joint accounts, bribery, extortion, embezzlement, graft, nepotism and political patronage prevalent in the system.

    The founders of the Nigerian local government system and the crafters of the Nigerian constitution envisaged a local government system that will bring development along the local people’s culture and expectations. But sadly, the system is today a true reflection of the decay in the Nigeria state. It has been forgotten in Nigeria’s development equation- Nigerians put more expectations and emphases on the President and the governors, rather than the local authorities.

    Dogara was quoted to have said that the ongoing constitution alteration is the only way to guarantee development at the grassroots. However, the fourth schedule of the 1999 Nigerian constitution coupled with some important judgments made by the Supreme Court on issues affecting the local government system are good enough to strengthen the local government system.

    The fourth schedule of the Nigerian constitution has clearly spelt out the functions of a local government council, but they have been abused and neglected. Imagine the local councils performing some of their functions as stated in the Nigerian constitution, for example: provision of some basic services.

    Dogara has heard the cry of the people to grant local government councils political and financial independence. This will checkmate governors’ abuse of local government authorities and bring sanity to the administration of local government councils.

    The local government system has failed not only because of corruption, but also because of the negligence of the public and civil society organisations. A saying goes thus: ‘The less involved we are in our local community politics, the less aware we are of corruption in the system.’ Instead of serving as channels through which development and government’s policies impact on the local people, as well as serve as a political training centre to afford future leaders opportunity to learn the art of good governance, the system has been transformed into breeding ground for bad leaders.

    Dogara and his colleagues’ determination to grant the local government system financial and administrative autonomy will reinvigorate it. Most importantly, the elimination of the joint accounts will bring relief to the councils and enhance their capacity to perform. It will also reduce the burden of public expectation on governors and make local councils to be responsive to their constitutional duties.

    Due to the operation of joint accounts, most local councils in Nigeria cannot pay salaries. And when they are able to, what is left is always too small to spend on development and it ends up in some officials’ personal pockets. Though, the idea behind the joint account was to eliminate corruption in the local governments, it has eventually turned out to be counter-productive to the local government system.

    So many Nigerians are delighted with this landmark initiative from Dogara and his colleagues to grant full autonomy to the local council.  Nonetheless, while granting autonomy to local councils is laudable, there are other variables that are pertinent if the local government councils must be effective. These include, having responsible people vie for local council positions; better attention from the public and NGOs; holding the local authorities to a set of standards based on their respective cultures. With these, among others, the local government system will start working.

     

    • Zayyad I. Muhammad,

     Jimeta, Adamawa State.

  • ‘Senate ‘ll back council autonomy’

    ‘Senate ‘ll back council autonomy’

    The Chairman of the Senate Committee on state and local governments, Senator Abdullahi Abubakar Ojo, in an interview with reporters, said local government autonomy is inevitable and that the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) should be abolished AHMED RUFA’I was there.

    What is the senate doing about the local government autonomy?

    The cry about local government administration is not only from the masses, but also from the government of the country. President Buhari, in his inaugural address, stated this clearly that the federal government can not fold its arm and look at what is happening at state as far as local governments administration is concerned. What we have seen in the country; I toured the country I aggregate the views of some Nigerians and I confronted the leadership of the Senate and the senate allowed me to move a motion wereby I won the backing of the Senate to allow me conduct a public hearing so that all stakeholders of local government administration to come forward for their suggestions so that those clamouring for constitutional amendment then we’ll go for constitutional amendment and those that request for enforcement of extent laws well enforce the laws. The senate gave me that mandate through the motion that I sponsored which enable me to see the President one on one,  and I drew his attention that time that Mr president under your watch the local government administration is being killed by states governors. I told him that as we are talking only 10 states out of 36 states conducted local government elections. I told him there that unfortunately your state and my state are not amongst the ten that conducted local government elections, which means 75per cent of the local governments leadership is unconstitutional and unelected. So I told him and gave him a copy of the motion I sponsored that even within the confines of the extent laws, the laws are adequate enough without going through the rigour of conducting a constitutional amendment. We can with the leadership in the states dialogue on how local governments can be allowed to operate independently.

    When will the public hearing take place?

    We have met with the leadership of the ALGON , we talked to them and they gave us their views. we are to meet with the governors forum because I don’t want a situation whereby we are going to do it by force. Or the president would just wake up and make a pronuncemen. we need dialogue. if you are taking away the control of the local governments from the states, then, you will have to give them something in return. This is the more reason why I told the president that the federal government has to devolue some of its responsibilities in education, in health and agriculture to the states and local governments because, if you win some, you’d loose some and this is how we want the approach to be and not bullying anybody. But, the federal government in education can take the tertiary and allow the primary and secondary education to be run by the states and local governments. the federal government has no business in running secondary education, so these unity schools should go back to the states. So they would have a little in the tertiary institutions which are crying for funding because the funds and responsibilities are so huge at the federal government level this is the more reason why they are not getting enough funding. Likewise, the healthcare. the federal government should devolue the responsibilities of the primary and secondary healthcare to states and local governments and take the teaching hospitals and centre of excellence and fund and equip them very well so that this health tourism can stop. By so doing, we can conserve our foreign exchange. we have the brains in the healthcare. If you go to the US, most consultants there are all Nigerians while we are rushing to India, Egypt for ailments that can easily be accomodated within our country likewise in agriculture, we have professors in research institutions that would conduct research in seedlings, soil tests, and fertilizers. but, there is no funding the federal government can fund them properly and allow the extension work in agriculture to be at the level of states and local governments we would have excellence in these areas. So, if the state’s are busy and allow the local governments to stay on their feet they would have no objection even though the responsibilities of these constituency projects can be assigned by the federal government to the local governments since all assembly members constituencies are domicile in their local governments. For instance, the policy thrust of the federal government in a particular year, for example, next year’s budget, can be in agriculture or health or education.

    If local government is autonomous, how can the abuse of power be prevented at that level?

    The guiding principle is the House of Assembly. They are there to make laws to check mate any council that deviates from the rules. The constitution is very clear and adequate. Where we have challenges, we will amend the constitution. The constitution is dynamic.

     

  • How feasible is local government autonomy?

    How feasible is local government autonomy?

    Local government autonomy has been on the front burner for a long time. President Muhammadu Buhari has lent his voice against the excessive state government control over the councils. LEKE SALAUDEEN examines the effects of lack of administrative and fiscal autonomy on the performance of the third-tier of government.

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s support for the amendment of the constitution to pave the way for local government autonomy has reopened the debate on the contentious issue. When he received the leadership of the Association of Local Governments in Nigeria (ALGON), the president  called for a constitutional amendment that would clearly define the relationship among the three tiers of government.

    The debate focuses on the local government effectiveness and the joint account operated by the state and the local governments. Many people are of the view that, without administrative and financial autonomy, it will be very difficult for the local government to carry out its constitutional mandate to the people at the grassroots. Analysts perceive local government as a viable instrument for rural transformation and for the delivery of social services to the people. However, despite its strategic importance to national development, they noted that the local government’s contribution has been minimal. Some observers agreed that the ineffectiveness of the local government derives primarily from the excessive government control.

    Beyond that, Nigerians are divided on the issue. While some say autonomy for local government will speed -up development in the country others believe it will worsen the corruption.

    President Buhari observed that the relationship between the three tiers of government is not a very nice one, especially between the local government and the states. “The states feel like they own local government, if they are of the same party. It is worse if they are not. This is a very serious constitutional problem and unless there is absolute clarity and transparency, the relationship will continue to be exploited against the interest of the ordinary people of the country”.

    The President of Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel, painted a gloomy picture of local government in Nigeria. He said the local government is in a parlous state; it is chronically under resourced, it is not managed efficiently and it’s unable to provide the services the people need.

    Khaleel noted that the functions and responsibilities of local government have been hijacked by the state government. According to him, while development has eluded the people at the local level, the governors corruptly enrich themselves with the money that belongs to local government.

    The NULGE president said: “In Nigeria, not only is the local government continually undermined and over-ruled by federal and state governments, elections for local assemblies are ignored or are undermined, and it is definitely postponed. In their place are established transition or caretaker committees largely made up of appointees as a reward for loyalty to the powers that be. Their legal status being such that they do not have the authority to draw down funds earmarked for local government functions.

    “Revenue collection by local government in Nigeria, despite the legislation in place, is chronically hampered because funds from central government  are misplaced, withheld or subject to ‘penalties ‘ that undermine its value, and this often results in the remainder not being sufficient to pay salaries. In Nigeria, some local government workers have not been paid for up to 18 months ‘ and the much heralded harmonisation of terms and conditions of state and local government workers has failed to materialise 10 years after being agreed.

    “Today, almost all revenue generating items starting from sales of markets daily tolls, construction of roads, motor parks, slaughter slabs, environmental services and rates collection have been outsourced or contracted out by state governments. The law of Internally Generated Revenue stipulates that the State shall give to the local government 10 per cent of whatever is being generated on a monthly basis notwithstanding what the local government themselves can get.  In practice, this is not attainable and no State has ever been punished for reneging or otherwise”.

    Governors Forum against LG autonomy

    The Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) is stoutly opposed to any move to grant autonomy to local governments. The body has continued to maintain that local councils are integral part of state governments. The Forum’s argument is premised on the fact that, in all known federation, the federating units are usually the states and the centre. That autonomy will only make sense in the relationship between the states and the centre where we look at a spectrum that runs on the two extremes of unitary system and confederation. The governors argue that, in a federal system, there is no provision for local government as a federating partner and to talk of one is to engage in absurdity.

    According to the NGF, the understanding over the years has been that in a true federalism, the issue relating to the creation, delineation and funding of local authorities is within the constitutional purview of states, which have political and judicial status that the local government do not have. The states are federating units while the local governments are merely administrative units.

    The Forum admitted that local governments have politico-legal existence in so far as the constitution recognised them and even listed their names. “These local governments so named are the beneficiaries of federal allocations, just like the states and the federal government. It is this existing arrangement that has made some to erroneously assume and even argue that the local governments are on the same level of autonomy as states and federal governments.

    “What we have today is a disruptive and abominable legacy of military rule. It was the practice of the military to create local governments and even states. Since the military went on a frenzy of proliferating the local governments, it took on itself the burden of its funding, just as it was funding the states from the Federation Account. The military then passed on this legacy at its disengagement in 1999. Nevertheless, the issue of local governments’ autonomy should only come into play within the context of their relationship with their states,” the NGF said.

    Why LGs are ineffective

    A political scientist, Dr Rufus Oladimeji, agreed with President Buhari that the solution to the local government lies in the constitutional amendment. He frowned at the practice whereby local governments with democratically elected executive are answerable to the state government. Once they are accountable to the state governors they can’t perform their functions; local governments should be accountable to the people just as the states and federal governments are, he insisted.

    Oladimeji stressed that the constitutional provision that tied the local government to the state government should be amended. “It shouldn’t be there. Remove all those elements that hinder local government from operating as a tier of government. The joint account should be abrogated and they should be allowed to conduct their own election independently. It is necessary to have a full blown local government with full autonomy”, he suggested.

    He said: “putting local councils in the pockets of state governments do not encourage competent and qualified people to serve as chairmen or councillors. The governors remove chairmen and councillors at will either because they don’t belong to the ruling party in the state or they are not willing to do the bidding of the governor. The state governments intervene in their activities. The state governors determine what to do with joint account; the funds on many occasions are diverted. This is not good for the country and our democracy”.

    Aformer local government chairman, Dr Alex Ogbonna, said the dereliction of local government can be attributed to the lack of financial autonomy, corruption and undue interference in local government affairs, with regards to the areas of Joint state- local government account which gives the state government undue benefit over local government.

    Ogbonna said the states have undermined the financial viability of local government by diverting statutorily allocated grants for local governments as well as encroaching on their revenue yielding functions like markets, motor parks, tenement rates and liquor licensing. He described the hijacking of local government services by state governments as a grave concern, and especially of those elements of service delivery that deliver an income.

    He said the tendency to ignore the political factor in the management of local government had reduced local government to instruments of regulation and control. According to him, local governments which ought to be seen as instrument of mobilisation is usually not complex and generally does not require sophisticated and highly qualified personnel for effective performance.

    Local Government in other countries

    Local government in the United States, Switzerland, Australia, Germany and other countries have huge responsibilities and resources, but still operate within the purview of their states.

    In Australia, the state governments are constitutionally responsible for local government. The Federal Constitution sets out this responsibility, and each state decides on the role of local government in its own constitution; any major change would require the constitution to be changed. In recent years, this constitutional relationship has been bypassed by strengthening relations between federal government and local government. The Federal Government has supported particular initiatives financially. There are also signs of occasionally alliance between federal and local government in order to ‘squeeze’ the states.

    The United States also has a federal structure. Each state is responsible for local government, and each state has different approaches. Local governments are ‘creatures of the States’. The states can therefore change the status of local government although this rarely happens.

    In Germany, the local government is characterised by diversity, especially in its unique city states. The Federal Republic of Germany consisted of 11 Lander (States) when it was founded. Since re-unification in 1990, Germany has 16 Lander including the three city states of Hamburg, Bremen and Berlin. Regarding the assignment of land tasks, the Basic Law merely distinguishes between two orders: the federation and the Lander.

    Austria belongs to the category of the federal system where local government is extensively regulated by the federal constitution. The more rigorous the federal constitutional regime, however, the less space remains for the Lander and their legislation. Even then, the competence to regulate local government is mainly assigned to the Lander not the federal legislature.

    New Zealand has the system closest to that in the United Kingdom. There is no written constitution and, therefore, no constitutional position for local government. The national parliament can make changes to the system as it deems fit. New Zealand’s local government went through a major period of reform in the late 1980’s. The 1989 Local Government Act defines local government’s general responsibilities.

    Third tier of government, a myth?

    The general assumption is that there are three-tiers of government,  federal, state and local governments. In reality, the local government is an appendage of the state government.

    The financial control exercised by state governments reduces the autonomy of the local government and this paves the way for financial manipulation of the local government. Section 162(5) of the 1999 Constitution states that the amount standing to the credit of local government councils in the federation accounts shall be allocated to the state for the benefit of their local government councils on such terms and in such manner as may be prescribed by National Assembly.

    Section 162(6) states that each state shall maintain a special account called the “State Joint Local Government Account” into which shall be paid allocation to the local government councils of the state from Federation Account and from the Government of the State.

    Besides, the local government budget must be presented to the state governor for approval. These provisions make local government subservient to the state government.