●as A’Ibom NUJ calls for new constitution
By Emmanuel Ntekim
The autonomy granted to the 779 local government areas in Nigeria by the Supreme Court of Nigeria has been referred to as a mirage and a difficult venture to realize following the rate of interference by state governments both in the political, administrative and financial affairs of the local government.
The former federal lawmaker and speaker, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Hon. Onofiok Luke, stated these while citing scholars in the local government administration in his keynotes presentation at the gathering of the Akwa Ibom State local media in Uyo.
Hon. Luke said it was erroneous for caretaker committees to replace elected local government executives for democratic governance at the local government level in the 36 states of the federation; and disbursement of federal allocations to the local governments directly to them by the federation account, he restraining the state governors from collecting funds belonging to the local government councils when no democratically elected local government councils are in place.
That the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as altered) in section 7(1) and section 162 (paragraphs, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) guaranteed some form of autonomy to local governments, and these provisions are essentially aimed at protecting the local government from unnecessary interference from other tiers of government and to enable it play significant roles in the national development process.
According to him, “Unfortunately, findings from research by different scholars (such as Awotokun, 2005 and Adeyemi, 2013)) as well as present day realities in the Nigerian political ecosystem point to the fact that the autonomy of the local government is more of a mirage and that has become increasingly difficult to realize following the rate of interference by state governments both in the political, administrative and financial affairs of the local government”.
Hon Onofiok Luke, said the primary role of local government is to manage and administer public services and amenities within its jurisdiction and ensure that the communitys unique needs are met through localised decision-making. Local governments exist to promote democratic participation, drive economic development at the grassroots level, and serve as the essential link between the central government and the local population.
And that local government can also promote economic development by creating an enabling environment for businesses to thrive and by providing support for local entrepreneurs and small-scale enterprises.
Citing Olowu (2024), the former speaker, Akwa State House of Assembly, and member Etinan federal constituency, stressed that “local government administration is essential for promoting democratic participation, accountability, and responsiveness to local needs. It provides an opportunity for citizens to engage in the decision-making process and to hold their elected representatives accountable for their actions.
Local government plays a critical role in the provision of public services such as education, healthcare, sanitation, and infrastructure development. Ahmed (2024), in joining the conversation, opines that effective local government could lead to improved service delivery, increased efficiency, and better outcomes for citizens”.
The lawmaker and lawyer by profession while tracing the origin of local governments, noted that scholars in the field of local government administration have said that the local government areas in Nigeria are on apron strings of the state governments. “In essence, they functioned as extensions of the state apparatus. As such, the federal structure of Nigeria during this period effectively operated as a two-tier system”.
Noting that the emphasis on local government autonomy is to institute an enduring local government council system; the creation of a system that could serve as a catalyst for the development of the areas involved; a uniform structure through the one tier system; recognizing the position of traditional rulers and a need to guide against the situation where the state governments have continued to encroach upon what would normally have been the exclusive preserves of local governments.
But the Nigeria Union of Journalists NUJ Akwa Ibom State Council, through its Federated Chapel, has called on the federal government of Nigeria to fast track the modalities of providing the country a new constitution.
Federated Chapel made this call at chapel’s 2024 symposium on the theme A conversation on local government autonomy, held at the NUJ Press Centre last week Friday Nov 15, 2024.
The symposium had Hon. Mark Esset, the Member representing Uyo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives as Chairman, His Royal Majesty, Odidem Bassey Etim Edet, Chairman, Akwa Ibom State Supreme Council of Traditional Rulers as father of the day, Hon. Onofiok Luke as lead discussant, ASP Timfon John, Police Public Relations Officer Akwa Ibom State Command, Barrister Ekemini Udim of Justice Chambers and Hon. Itoro Columba as discussants.
They all called on the National Assembly to amend sections of the 1999 Constitution (Amended) to strengthen operationalisation of the autonomy in its purest form and ensure rapid development at this tier of government which is the closest to the people.
In a communique shortly after the event, the discussants and the media practitioners noted that optimising the implementation of local government autonomy requires probity, transparency and accountability by leaders at that level.
The symposium frowned at the overbearing influence of some governors on the local government structure across the country, and called for upward review of the revenue-sharing formula by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, to allocate more funds to local government areas.
