Some stakeholders in public administration have advocated constitutional amendment to guarantee political and financial autonomy of the Local Government Councils in the country.
They specifically called for a constitutional amendment to address salient issues with regards to the State and Local Government Joint Account, State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC), among others.
The stakeholders including political leaders, activists and unionists, who spoke in seperate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi, Dutse and Gombe, described the constitutional amendment as “vital” towards strengthening local government system.
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This is coming against the backdrop of debates on the Supreme Court’s judgment which upheld the autonomy of the councils.
The apex court in a judgment on July 11, voided the Joint Account of State and LGA’s, and ordered the Accountant General of the Federation, to only pay funds into the account of the councils with a democratically elected members.
The landmark judgment brings to an end Transition Committees, Caretaker Committees or Sole Administrators in LGCs.
Mr Abdullahi Inuwa, a Gombe-based legal practitioner, said the Supreme Court’s judgement was not something new, rather an affirmation of the three tiers of government.
He stressed the need for thorough amendment to enable the local councils to exercise their functions inline with constitutional provisions.
Dahiru said that SIEC’s should be replaced with Independent National Electoral Comission (INEC) to conduct local council election.
This, he said would ensure uniformity and credibility in the electoral processes at the grassroots.
Alhaji Sale Abdullahi, Chairman, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Gombe, said the amendment would allow the councils to function independently without undue interference by the state governors.
“It is only through absolute autonomy in place that sustainable development will get to the grassroots,” he said.
Mr Caleb Bansi, a civil society activist in Bauchi, noted that the amendment was necessary to redefine the role and powers of SIECs, enhance their autonomy and credibility in conducting free and fair elections at the local level.
“The amendment should focus on strengthening the independence of SIECs, to ensure they operate without undue influence from state governors and vested interests.
“Legislative changes are crucial to establishing clear guidelines for electoral processes and enhancing public trust in local government elections,” he said.
Also, Dauda Sale, a former Secretary of NULGE in Bauchi, said that constitutional amendment would address challenges militating against effective runing of the councils such as poor funding, political interference, limited administrative and financial autonomy.
He said that many state governments view the Supreme Court’s decision as potentially undermining their authority and ability to effectively coordinate development efforts at the local levels.
Saleh said the court’s decision was a potential opportunity to enhance service delivery and governance efficiency at the grassroots.
“Constitutional amendments will ensure the administrative autonomy of LGAs, empowering them to independently manage their affairs, appoint personnel, and execute developmental projects.
“This requires legislative changes that clearly define the scope of local government responsibilities and powers,” he said.
In the same vein, Bala Yargaba, an ex-Chairman, Dutse Local Government Council in Jigawa, said that constitutional amendment would facilitate sound reforms to upgrade local government administration.
He, however, said that the Jigawa was not withholding local council funds, noting that the council had been enjoying financial autonomy in the state.
“I was a three time chairman of Dutse LGC, and from experience there has never been a time when the state withhold council’s allocations for whatsoever reason.
“We have had tough times in the councils in those days, many a times when the state government had to borrow money to help LGCs with insufficient funds to pay salaries.
“About 16 LGAs could not pay workers’ salaries much less care for other services, the state government is supporting them to meet their obligations,” he said.
He, therefore, stressed the need for constitutional amendment to empower INEC to conduct local council election.
On his part, Sanusi Maigatari, Chairman, Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), Jigawa chapter, said the constitutional amendment would rejig the councils to enable them to work toward poverty reduction, promote good governance and further entrench democratic culture at the grassroots.
He said that urgent legislative actions were imperative to avail Nigerians the opportunities to reap the benefits of the Supreme Court’s judgment.
