As a fallout of the call by the Senate on President Bola Tinubu to convene a national dialogue to deliberate on full autonomy for local governments in the country, civil rights activists, and lawyers, among others, have advocated for the reduction in the constitutional powers of the governors.
The Senate had last week accused the state governors of being responsible for the death of the local government administration in the country, alleging that the non-functionality of the 774 local government councils in the country was due to the usurpation of LG functions by the governors.
However, concerned Nigerians yesterday told ThisNigeria that there was an urgent need to curtail the powers of the state governors if democracy will survive in the country.
They further noted that the expectations of the people at the grassroots to feel the impact of government and enjoy the dividends of democracy may continue to hang in the balance if the governors continue to hijack the monthly allocations meant for the local governments, making them financially subservient to them.
A political scientist, human rights activist, and democracy crusader, Amitolu Shittu, berated too much power at the state government level as the major cause of local government muscling by state governors.
He also blamed the legislators as being responsible for local governments’ loss of autonomy because as former governors, they nursed the ambition of becoming governors after leaving the National Assembly.
Amitolu urged President Tinubu to apply the constitutional power vested on him to tell the National Assembly members to make laws that must liberate local government administration from the grip of state governments and governors to enable them to enjoy their constitutional autonomy.
He said, “It’s the enormous and unlimited powers in the hands of governors that are responsible for the muscling of the third tier of government, rendering the local government irrelevant with attendant loss of its autonomy.
“When state governments muscle local governments, then democracy is seriously threatened. There is an urgent need to curtail the powers of the state governments.
“The collapse of democracy in Nigeria should be traced to the National Assembly. They are to blame. There can never be a justifiable law emanating from the National Assembly because many of them will be dreaming of becoming governors after leaving the House of Reps or Senate. So, it would be difficult for them to make laws that could guarantee local government autonomy.
“The only body to liberate the local governments from the claws of the state governments/governors would have been the House of Assembly, but they are sleeping because of their secret ambitions to become governors so that they can perpetuate their influence on the local government.
“The way out for the local government liberation is that the president should use the power vested on him by the constitution of the country to ensure local government freedom. Although the President is trying to be careful with them so as not to scuttle his second tenure ambition in 2027, he should call a spade a spade.”
On whether the senators are sincere with their lamentations, he noted, “They are not sincere or showing any commitment. Some of them were former governors of their states. They muscled the local governments when they were there. Many of them were there for two terms and cannot go back there to be governors. So, their lamentations are just to please Nigerians ahead of their ambition to become president.
“So, their lamentations are mere political statements to worm themselves into the hearts of the people that they are pro-local government administration to contest as president, but it’s deception.
“When they are seeking for political office, they say what they want people to hear. They don’t want to hear the truth. If you tell them the truth, they will go to Google reproduce it, and use it against you later. We cannot run democracy like this.”
Similarly, the Executive Director of Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Clement Nwankwo, said, “Nigerian citizens must be prepared to make demands on government to make democracy work.
“People at the grassroots look up to the local government, but it is as incapacitated as it had been because of the joint states- local governments’ accounts which allows state governors access to the funds.
“The way forward lies with the National Assembly which must show courage and patriotism in the ongoing amendment to the 1999 Constitution. The amendment should separate this account. Let funds meant for the local governments go directly to each of them.
“Just like President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has come clean on his preference for local government autonomy, the ruling APC must insist that their governors, federal, state legislators, and councilors support local government autonomy.
“APC must insist that their governors will not intimidate their state assemblies to vote against autonomy when it’s presented to them. It’s also time to name and shame governors who refuse to support local government autonomy.
“Past governors who are guilty of the offence and are now in the Senate can do restitution by openly supporting local government autonomy and openly advising their state governors to support it. After all, most of them put their successors there,” he said.
In the same vein, the Executive Director of Partners for Electoral Reform, Ezenwa Nwagwu, noted that local government elections should be “for the prepared and not an all-comers affair.”
He said, “The prepared would have a clear-cut agenda that will benefit the people and not just self-aggrandizement. Political parties cannot guide and control their members in government, there is no guiding ideology, only corruption runs through the system.
“When parties present candidates, after elections, the successful persons become larger than life, and even their party, so much that the party can no longer call them to order. If Nigerian political parties stop relying on governors for funding, it will go a long way in curbing the excesses of governors. The parties can then insist on what is right for the country.
“Party members should pay their dues as at when due for the running of the party so that the people own the party rather than elected office holders. The State Independent Electoral Commissions, SIECs are shadows and are incapable of conducting free, fair, and acceptable local government elections.
“Coming from these backgrounds, it will be meaningless for SEICs to conduct local government elections. It can only be reasonable for INEC to conduct all elections, including local government elections.
“Although INEC has severally complained of being overburdened and needs unbundling, it will still not be out of place, while that is being looked into to create an ad hoc department in the federal electoral management body to conduct local government elections and save the nation this embarrassment.”
A pastor and lawyer, Paul Omoluabi, said that only true federalism could guarantee the independence of local government administration.
Omoluabi said, “The electorates have the requisite powers to decide what happens to the local governments. The majority of the electorate does not know how powerful they are when it is time to vote for the right persons in government.
“The narrative can only change if those who are elected into the legislative positions are aware of the reason they were elected. They have the mandate of the people, and it is expected they act accordingly.
“The electorate must begin to make it clear what they want, how they want it, and ultimately the principles of accountability should be enforced in all constituencies. Local governments must be given their constitutional powers if indeed we are sincere as a nation. True federalism reflects fairness and adequate devolution of powers.”
A public finance consultant, Chief Olumbe Bello, stressed that the electorate possesses significant power to shape the trajectory of local governments, but unfortunately, many of them are unaware of their influence.
He said, “The cost of maintaining legislative houses is too high if representatives fail to genuinely serve their constituents. To achieve true federalism, fairness, and effective governance, local governments must be granted their constitutionally mandated powers. Let Mr. President ensure they are guaranteed the independence that they deserve.”
Meanwhile, the ADC governorship candidate in the 2023 election in Kwara State, Issa Manzuma, said the allocation due to local governments was supposed to increase by 10 per cent, but unfortunately, the reverse is the case in Nigeria.
He said, “I remember the 1976 Local government reforms and a committee headed by Late Dasuki on Local government reforms and the 1999 constitution that introduced joint accounts with state governments and local governments.
“The intention of the framers of the 1999 constitution as it relates to joint accounts is to make more money available to the local governments for rural development.
“Under the said constitution, states are to take 10% of their internally generated revenue and to the pool from Federation allocation to the local governments and then redistribute to the local governments.”
A media practitioner, Mr Michael Olanrewaju, said true federalism was the key to addressing the issues.
Olanrewaju, who is also the General Manager of Diamond FM, said the country cannot have true federalism without fiscal federalism.
He added, “As we operate a federal system constitutionally guaranteeing three tiers of government, local government should equally enjoy separation of powers in its entirety.
“Therefore, Nigerians from all shades of lives should rise and advocate a free-functioning local government that would touch those living within their scope.
“The National Assembly and the Presidency should work assiduously to liberate local governments from the state governments, bring them back to life, and make rural dwellers feel the existence of government.
“Only local government autonomy and grassroots government can guarantee good democracy for the people and make life meaningful to them. The word palliative correlates a short-term relief. What Nigerians desire is a permanent solution as seen in the first and second republics when the government was close to the people. This was made possible because of the level of security and welfare provided by the governments at all tiers.”
*Soludo sacks 21 LG transition committees’ chairmen; their tenures expired, says gov
Meanwhile, the Anambra State Governor, Prof Charles Soludo, yesterday directed the transition committee chairmen across the 21 local government areas of the state to hand over to their respective Head of Local Government Administration (HLGA).
The state Commissioner for Local Government, Chieftaincy and Community Affairs, Collins Nwabunwanne, handed down the directive in a letter dated May 17, 2024 titled: Expiration of tenure and handover to Heads of Local Government Administrations (HLGAs).
However, moments later, the commissioner said there was no cause for alarm, saying, “It has always been a routine thing that on the expiration of the three-month tenure of the Transition Committee Chairmen the most senior civil servant in the local government council would hold brief pending the approval of the list of the Transition Committee Chairmen by the House of Assembly.”
In the earlier directive, the commissioner said, “Following the expiration of your tenure as Transition Committee Chairman, you are hereby directed to handover the affairs of your Local Government Council to the Head of Local Government Administration (HLGA), in your respective Local Government Councils.”
According to the statement, the governor’s order takes effect from Monday, May 20, 2024.
“This directive takes effect from Monday, 20th day of May, 2024. Thank you for your service to the state. All replies are to be addressed to the Honourable Commissioner.”
Anambra State has not held local government polls recently.
The last time the exercise was held was 10 years ago towards the end of former governor Peter Obi’s administration in 2014.
*Criticisms continue to trail Uzodimma’s appointment of sole administration for LGs
Following last week’s appointment of sole administrators for the 27 local governments in Imo State, criticisms have continued to trail Governor Hope Uzodimma’s inability to conduct local government elections after five years in office.
An Abuja-based activist, Linus Okoro, said it was a shame that local government elections have not been conducted in the state for the past 16 years.
Okoro said it was wrong for the governor to appoint sole administrators for local councils instead of thinking of conducting elections into the third tier of government.
Although the governor had promised to conduct LG polls in 60 days following claims of insecurity in the state, Okoro said Uzodimma would have waited for that 60 days to conduct LG polls.
He said, “It is a shame that in the last 16 years, both the previous and current administration of Governor Uzodimma did not conduct LGA elections. The best thing for the governor to have done instead of appointing sole administrators was to wait for 60 days to conduct the elections. It is not him alone, these governors have turned the third tier of government to their private enterprise.”
Last week, a human rights group, Beyond Platform, also faulted Uzodimma’s appointment of sole administrators for the 27 local governments in the state instead of conducting democratic elections at that tier of government.
In a statement by its convener, Chibundu Uchegbu, the group flayed the governor over his announcement to conduct council elections after four times he had promised and failed to conduct it.
*Individual opinions won’t affect laws to correct anomalies in Constitution
Spokesperson for the Senate, Senator Adeyemi Adaramodu, has assured Nigerians that the individual opinions of senators will not affect the passage of laws meant to address obvious anomalies in the polity.
Adaramodu gave the assurance while reacting to insinuations that some former governors in the Senate might not be favourably disposed to the passage of the local government autonomy bill currently before the red chamber.
Adaramodu said, “The Senate will speak with one voice, we will look at the body language of Nigerians first because we represent them. People can come up with bills and motions. It is for bills and motions to be subjected to the crucibles of legislation.
“The bills will pass through first and second then it goes to a public hearing where the Nigerian public will be invited to come and air their views, sector by sector then we talk, and once they talk we aggregate.
“The committees in charge of such issues will hold public hearings and will make a report to National Assembly either in the Senate or House of Representatives and after that it comes up for third reading where every legislator will sit down and consider clause by clause for whatever you might have found out.
“It is after it then we now be talking about law or no law. It is the duty of the legislature or legislators to come up with what they think can enhance the polity and how to represent their constituents too.
“Whatever our constituents want that would serve their best interest, in line with the nation’s constitution is what we will do. No individual opinion would be strong enough to frustrate bills meant to provide security and welfare for our people,” he added.
