The Senate yesterday accused the state governors of being responsible for the death of the local government administration in the country.
The senate blamed the non-functionality of the 774 local government councils in the country for usurpation of their functions by the governors.
They also alleged that the state chief executives were starving the councils of funds through abuse of the joint account between them and the state government as contained in Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution.
The Senate in plenary called on President Bola Tinubu to collaborate with the National Assembly and other relevant stakeholders for resuscitation of the dead local government councils.
They specifically asked the President to support their proposal of a unified electoral system and tenure of office of the chairmen and councillors of LGAs.
The Senate resolution also included a call on Tinubu to stop further fun of funds to caretaker committee-led local government areas in the country.
The lawmakers appealed a motion sponsored by Senator Suleiman Kawu (NNPP Kano South), on the urgent need for President Tinubu to resuscitate the local government system in Nigeria.
Kawu in his lead debate on the motion, lamented “that in the tapestry of Nigeria’s governance system, local governments are meant to be threads weaving development close to the ground.
He said, “Envisioned as the closest tier of administration to the people, they hold the potential to address local needs directly and shape communities from the inside out.
“But the story of Nigeria’s local government system is one of promise and paradox, woven with threads of hope and frustration. The journey began in 1976 with local government reform, aiming to decentralise power and empower communities.
“Envisioned as self-governing entities with elected officials, local governments handled critical aspects of community life – primary education, healthcare, sanitation, local infrastructure, and community security.
“It was a dream of grassroots democracy, where decisions were made closer to the people they impacted.”
He lamented that the dream of achieving the objectives of the local government system encountered harsh realities.
He said, “Successive governments often eroded local autonomy, limiting their financial resources and control over decision-making. Corruption scandals and mismanagement tarnished the image of some local governments, fuelling public cynicism.
“Some governors play a crucial role in frustrating local government autonomy in Nigeria via constitutional alteration processes and with limited financial and operational autonomy, local governments might struggle to effectively address local security concerns like community policing initiatives, intelligence gathering, and infrastructure maintenance.
“Local governments, once major employers
are financially constrained and unable to hire the necessary staff. This surge in unemployment creates a pool of vulnerable individuals susceptible to criminal recruitment, further exacerbating the nation’s security issues.”
Senators made contributions from across party lines to the debate.
They lamented that the local government system, had been crippled by the governors and thus, the need for a Constitution amendment to give it autonomy, administratively and financially.
Speaking on the matter, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Jibrin Barau, who presided over the session said “The local government system is dead in Nigeria and can only be resuscitated through far-reaching constitution amendments”
He said the Constitution should guarantee their administrative and financial autonomy as well as make the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), their electoral umpire.”
The Senate also resolved that a Unified electoral system and tenure of office of the chairmen and councillors of the Local Governments in Nigeria should be put in place constitutionally and that Federal Government should stop releasing monthly allocation of funds to Caretaker Committee-led Local Government Areas across the country.
Anambra state where caretaker Committees have been in the saddle for 18 years, was cited as an example as alleged by Senator Ifeanyi Uba (APC Anambra South).
Barau said, “The motion is very germane; it is intended to bring sanity into our local government system. Our local government system is dead. Local governments cannot do anything beneficial to the people and this is quite wrong.
“Their moneys are taken illegally by the Governors. The governors will tell them to write requests purporting to be theirs and the amounts of money will be utilized by the governors.
“This is what we see every day. Let me not generalize because of course, some Governors are nice and don’t do that, but the best way is to change that system by making a general alteration to the constitution to safeguard the local government system.
“I thank those governors who are abiding by the provisions of the constitution, who are not tampering with the funds of the local government and those who are doing that should desist for the sake of our country, for the security of our country.
“The issue has been discussed very well by the past speakers. In the past, when the local governments had their full autonomy, there was a full sense of security prevailing in the local communities, and the economy of all these local governments was moving. Rural-urban migration was very, very low.
“You must return local government elections to INEC. Or, if you are not using INEC, create a body independent of the state governors. If you do not follow the chain of actions and you say you want to have autonomy even with this proposal we are having, we will not get it right.
“So, we have to concentrate on two things: the mode of election. Those who will conduct the polls have an independent body to conduct the elections and then go for amending the constitution to allow for the local government autonomy.”
