REPS. NATIONAL DIALOGUE: Nigerians Call for LG Autonomy
By Onwe Wisdom
.Nigerians has called for the full autonomy of local government in the country. The call was made today at the one day national dialogue on Local Government and Constitution Amendment by House of Representatives in collaboration with Policy and Legal Advocacy Center(PLAC) and with support from the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office( FCDO) at the Congress Hall of Trans Corp Hilton, Abuja.
The dialogue affords participants the opportunity to call for full Local Government autonomy.
The national dialogue drew participants from all works of life, featuring professor, proven authorities in politics, the academia, traditional ruler, CSOs etc as guest speakers, paper presenter and panelists, advocating for the full autonomy of third tier of government. which is closer to the people to be so autonomy in all ramifications so that the dividends of democracy can trickle-down to the grass roots.
Leading the conversation is the Presidential Adviser Emeritus-National Assembly Matters, Sen. (Dr.) Ita Enang, OFR. NPOM in a presentation titled Constitutional Framework in Nigeria: Challenges and Pathways.
The presidential Adviser-Emeritus, Sen.Ita in his detailed presentation advocates the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment in all its ramifications through instrumentalities of the anti-corruption institutions to enforce compliance of direct allocation to Local Governments in the Country.
“The pronouncements of the Supreme Court and the recent judgment of same Supreme Court upholding the Nationwide application of the 3 Anti-corruption Legislations challenged by the Governors, to wit: ICPC, EFC & NFIU, I will advocate implementation of the judgment in all its ramifications through instrumentalities of the anti-corruption institutions to enforce compliance of direct allocation to Local Governments in the Country, for no Amendment will be as powerful and enforceable as these Revolutionary judgments and precedents – departure judgments of the Apex Court, for which credit goes to the courage of President Tinubu’s leadership and legal dexterity of the Attorney General of the Federation & Minister of Justice, Prince Latef Fagbemi, SAN, who handled these matters personally.”
The Emeritus Presidential Adviser in his presentation raises the following concerns which is considered by Nigerians as clogs in the wheel of achieving local government autonomy.
He notes that even if path of amendment is to be adopted, with the greatest respect to the Legislators, it would be difficult to get these through the floor of NASS given the influence of the Governors using threats of Party return tickets to coerce Legislators.
He maintains, given the powers and hold of the Governors on The State Houses of Assembly, it would even be difficult to get these through two thirds of the State Houses of Assembly even if it went through in the National Assembly.
Sen. Ita however points to one could describe as light at the end of the tunnel, opined that since the Federal Executive and National Assembly is being led by the APC, Mr President having gotten these through the Court should lead the Progressive Governors to lead the process as achievement and policy of the Party in enforcing Constitutional Federalism being part of what The Party promised the people and in her manifesto.
He further brought to bare that “the Governors are not signatories to accounts or approval instruments, not even Commissioners in certain cases but civil servants who are accounting officers. The anti-corruption Institutions should go after them while in office, and even after tenure. They are not clothed with Immunity and not in any manner shielded from prosecution for crimes against the state and public Treasury.”
“This being my lead contribution in this panel discussion, I hereby submit the above for discussion by the Eminent Panelists of Practitioners and constitutional experts to conclude if and whether, given the issues and judgments of the Courts et-al, there is still need for any alteration of the relevant constitutional provisions OR if the intendment of proposed amendments by sponsors of the amendment Bills referred to this NASS Committee has been satisfied by the considered judgment of the Apex Court. I so submit”
The panel session which features three former governors, Senator Adamu Aleiro (Kebbi State) Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia state) and Senator Adams Oshomole (Edo State) expressed worries and concern over the current state of local government administrations in Nigeria where the state governors controlls the resources of local governments with reckless negligence of rurals.
The ex-governors now Senators shared their experiences in handling local government fund during their term. Said the third tier as an administrative unit enjoyed a high level of autonomy from election of chairmen and councilors to in funding and decision making.
The former governor of Kebbi State, Sen. Adamu Aleiro recalls how he conducted local government election as governor and have other parties won election in the state against his party being a sitting governor unlike now that the chairmen of local government are handpicked by the governors despite the Supreme Court landslide judgement which gave local governments autonomy.
The Edo fmr governor, Senator Oshomole shari g his experience recalls that during his term as governor, the LGA’s chairmen received the monthly allocation that was duly allocated to them and were responsible for the development of their areas though under the supervision of the deputy governor to ensure accountability and efficiency in the spending of public fund.
The former comrade governor recalled also that for effective management, administration and smooth running of primary schools which is under the purview of the chairmen, he however instructed and ensure that primary school teachers were paid before embarking on any other project.
The fmr Abia state governor, Sen. Kalu who recounted his experience during his term as governor express shock over what local government has became.
While commending and celebrating the Supreme Court and it’s judgement on local government autonomy, says the interpretation of the constitution and verdict of Supreme Court on any matter globally standa and that judgement ought to have put to rest this matter.
Meanwhile, all Nigerians at the event aligned with the general consensus for local government autonomy.
In an opening remarks the chairman, House Committee on Constitution Review, Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu, the Deputy Speaker stressed the need to fully realize the intent and impact of this historic decision, the systemic issues affecting local government administration must be addressed.
Represented by the majority leader of the house, Professor Julius Ihonvbere, Kalu outlined the need to reimagine local governments as independent, effective partners in the country’s broader governance structure, with greater financial and administrative autonomy.
He argues that these reforms are not mere technical necessities but fundamental to building a governance system that is equitable, inclusive, and accountable.
Despite the challenges, the Deputy Speaker expressed optimism about the potential for meaningful change.
He urged all participants in the dialogue to approach the discussions with a shared sense of purpose and a commitment to upholding the ideals of democracy, accountability, and service delivery while stressing that the outcomes of the dialogue should be rooted in a vision for a Nigeria where local governments are empowered to better serve their constituencies.
Meanwhile, in his keynote address, Prof. Tony Onyishi, HOD, Public Administration and Government, University of Nigeria Nsuka, (UNN), Enugu State, on the theme: “Setting the Context for Local Government Reform”, said local governments in Nigeria are intended to be the cornerstone of grassroots to governance, bridging the gap between government and citizens.
But lamented on the current system’s limitations: party driven local elections, limited community representation, political maneuvering over governance, independent candidacy, merits based selection, reduced political interference and international
He said, “We have 774 local governments in Nigeria, if they are fully developed, Nigeria will be developed.
Earlier, the speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt Hon Tajudeen Abbas in his address acknowledged the many obstacles hindering local governments’ effectiveness.
These challenges he said include; inadequate funding, lack of autonomy, insufficient capacity, and interference from state governors, which he said have plagued local government with inefficiency and ineffectiveness for decades.
Tajudeen who was represented by the his deputy Rt Hon Benjamin Kalu stressed that these issues not only stifle local government as a third tier of government which is saddled with responsibilities grass root development among others has undermine national development. This he said makes the reforms to local government system more urgent than ever.
He said, A major issue raised by the Deputy Speaker was the inadequate funding of local governments. He pointed out that many local governments in Nigeria operate with insufficient budgets, limiting their ability to provide crucial services like healthcare, education, infrastructure, and sanitation.”
Tajudeen called for greater financial autonomy for local governments, urging constitutional amendments that would ensure they receive adequate funding directly from federal allocations, without excessive control from state governments.
