By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
Stakeholders of a one-day session organised by the Partnership to Engage Reform and Learn (PERL) have argued that if the local government areas in Nigeria attain full autonomy, several challenges bedeviling the country will be addressed.
They expressed this at a press briefing at the end of the session on Thursday April 21, 2022.
Leading the press briefing, CALPED’s Yusuf Goje said that, “If the Kaduna State House of Assembly can pass resolution in favour of autonomy, it will solve most problems faced.”
Speaking further, he said that the need to strengthen institutions to be independent to check what the executive is doing is another key reason why the constitutional amendment is crucial.
“Judiciary is not able to carry out responsibilities effectively because they lack some form of autonomy,” he said.
According to him, the advocacy is not targetted at Kaduna Assembly alone, but all the assemblies in the country.
“It will give the members of the assemblies opportunity to represent their people better, attract better development and give them political value to be elected at subsequent elections,” he said.
He continued, “We must work together to see that this democracy is sustained.
“We need institutions at LG and state levels to effectively discharge their responsibilities,” he concluded.
Also speaking, a former member of Kaduna State Assembly, Florence Aya said that the amendments are so important to women because they have been carried along in last election.
Honourable Aya who also represented Kaura at the House of Representatives as well as a former interim LG Chairman, said stakeholders believe that if there is independence in LG, legislature and judiciary, impact of governance will reach all.
“All should know that this thing being advocated will benefit all, down to the market women.
“It is an advocacy worth pursuing and all hands should be on deck in ensuring its success,” she added.
State chairman of National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) Kaduna State, Comrade Tahiru Suleiman, said that it is glaring that local government autonomy is the best for NIgeria.
” We have all seen the reason why LG deserves autonomy.
“If LGs were fully autonomous before now, the issue of insecurity bedeviling us wouldn’t have been, because it would have been noticed and nipped in the bud,” he declared.
