IMPOSITION: THREAT TO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTONOMY Quite recently, the politics of local government autonomy gradually crept back into the lips of all and sundry. This was after it became a sing song some few years back. Yet, the high politics of Nigeria not only silenced it, but made sure it died a natural death. Ever since, nobody ever talked about it. But how could they have talked about it when observably, it was realized that the local government has been a conduit through which funds meant for the massed are siphoned with reckless abandon by state governors. The idea of creating the local government is for governance to get to the grassroots. As a result, through the electoral commission, wards and cell units are further created for easier delineation and reach out. Today, there are 774 recognized local government areas in Nigeria. On monthly basis, nothing less than N30 billion goes out as allocation to them, but through state/local government joint account. Before it gets further to the third tier of government, it is slashed by controlling governors of the states. This is considered as big anomalies and greatly negates the real plan that the money is meant for. By the time the remaining allocation is released to the local government coffers, the council boss or whoever is in charge has to battle with the reality of whatever is left to pay the civil servants, leaving little or nothing to implement other projects. Granting autonomy to the local government means institutionalizing the original concept that established the local government in 1976. By so doing, the elected local government chairmen are saddled with the civic responsibility of touching the lives of the remote rural communities by constructing feeder roads, carrying out primary rural health care programmes, among other. It however appals that the political system have continued to swallow the idea and vehemently opposed to the implementation of the autonomy clause through the instrumentality of the state governors. Given that there is a serious gang-up to impoverish the lives of the average plebs in the rural communities by these plots to continue the control of local government account by the state government, the governors make sure that the autonomy is never granted because of their vested interest. Most of these anchor on their fraudulent and corrupt intent. Could it be that the state allocation are never enough for the governors? Why the special interest on local government allocations becomes a hovering question that needs an urgent redress. No wonder, there is no longer uniformity in the conduct of local government elections in Nigeria today. Some state governors have even preferred to run transition committee government where caretakers are appointed in order to fast-track the looting regime. In the end, council areas are left as shadows of improper administration, leaving many things undone and unattended because there are little or no funds to carry out development policies. It is not out of place that heaps of unpaid overdrafts and loans from banks confront fresh and newly sworn-in chairmen of local government on resumption of duties at their council areas all over the country. It is a complete democratic travesty that the newest political game in Nigeria is the issue of imposition. Quite endemic as it seems to be, the scourge, from its flashes, tend to be a great threat to democratic principles, neo-political precepts and by extension local government autonomy. The idea of sitting governors imposing anointed candidates of their choice into various positions portends madness in every sense of its concept. Agreed that godfatherism in Nigeria political environment has been an age long practice. It goes vis-à-vis mentorship in its extended form. But confronted with the crude reality that some governors commits all sort of atrocities – milking the state treasuries dry and carrying out high-profile embezzlement and then go ahead to plant stooges who will cover up their sins are considered the greatest crime of all time. No longer is it news that the new trend in politics in Nigeria is the cognomen, ‘state structure’. It means that PDP-controlled state also controls the state independent electoral commission (SIEC). Therefore, it extends to conventionalize the fact that no other party wins any local government in the state apart from the ruling party. Following this trend are other parties like APC, APGA, Labour Party who ensures that the convention is limitless. This is the biggest fraud that continuously confronts the issue of autonomy and our political essence. Hence, state governors, in the garb of institutionalizing corruption, sees the local government councils as ‘resource centres’, relegating council chairmen as umpires in a level playground where they are supposed to supposed to exercise the obligatory function characteristic of the third-tier of government. Apparently, it will take about 24 members of the state Houses of Assembly members to move the motion that will have local government autonomy see the light of the day. However, the fear becomes as palpable as it is frightening because majority of the principal officers in the house are the governors’ men so to say. Could it have been easier to have the nod of the minority few who sees no cogent reason why the local governments should share the same allocation account with the state? Let me opine that the autonomy of the local government is long overdue. The reason behind the delay before now may be sketchy owing to reasons which may either favour or disfavour it. But candidly, it remain the best option because if the reason for the foot-dragging is quite obvious, the governors have done enough damage to these state allocations to consider a rethink from the hallowed chambers and whoever it may concern. Philip Ng. Ifechukwude writes from Ibusa, Delta State Article published in Daily Independent - Friday 21st November, 2014
Posted on: Sun, 23 Nov 2014 21:55:35 +0000
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