By; JACOB ONJEWU DICKSON
The inability of local governments to perform effectively and credibly,especially in the areas of social service delivery, has largely been due to the excessive control exerted by the state executive.
CALPED Volunteer, Yusuf Goje expressed this, while presenting a paper titled, ” Highlights of alterations in the constitutional amendment” at a one-day media engagement towards influencing Kaduna State House of Assembly (SHoA) to vote in favour of the Local Government financial and administrative Autonomy, organised by Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), in Kaduna on Thursday April 14, 2022.
He said that, “although the executive say that LGAs cannot stand on their own, but have they been given the opportunity?”
Goje said that local government areas in Nigeria are having fiscal sustainability constraints because most of their responsibilities and duties have been hijacked by the State Governments
“Unfortunately, under civilian rule we have witnessed more efforts to weaken the closest tier of government.
“There is the false narrative being amplified that local government councils are incapable of independently managing its affairs and delivering on the basic social services without the state governments,” he said.
He explained that the above, makes amendment of the constitution important to bring about desired autonomy.
According to him, the amendments being sought are: to create standard tenure for localgovernment administrators, abolish use of Caretaker Committees andJAAC; create direct allocation;and make special provision for joint payment of teaching and non-teaching staff of the Universal Basic Education by the Federal,States and Local governments.
According to him, for any democracy to function, it needs strong institutions.
“There is need for legal framework for these institutions,” he stressed.
