LG autonomy: Ganduje repeals obnoxious labour law on tenure of workers

THE Governor of Kano State, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has repealed what the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) described as “obnoxious Labour law” that forcefully terminate the tenure of local government workers after spending eight years on grade level 14 and 15.
Governor Ganduje signed the bill, which repealed the obnoxious law in the presence of the NULGE President, Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel, when he led the national executive of the union and its members from the North West Zone. Who are on a nationwide protest rally in Kano, to pay a courtesy visit to the governor.
Under the law, Kano State Retirement and Pension Act, a local government employee who served on the level 14 or 15, for the period of eight year is compulsorily retired. The law was enacted by his predecessor, former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwansa.
NULGE has fought relentlessly to ensure that the implementation of the Retirement and Pension Act, was stopped and abrogated during the former governor without success.
Comrade Khaleel, while addressing the governor and presenting the position of NULGE on the need for local government autonomy; decried the Act and expressed NULGE opposition and public outcry against it.
However, Governor Ganduje, told the NULGE president and its members that his administration had worked on the Act and have already repealed it.
The governor said he deliberately delayed the signing of the new bill that repealed the Act when he learned that the NULGE president will be coming for autonomy rally in Kano, so that the bill would be signed in his presence.
“I have heard about the tenure system, we have already repealed that law and that is why I said I will sign the law in your presence. Please Commissioner of Justice, bring the bill,” Governor Ganduje said before assenting the bill.
On the struggle for local government autonomy, Governor Ganduje said it now very imperative to grant autonomy to local government; and said the nationwide rally by NULGE is a form of advocacy that was needed to achieve it.
He stated that there was no doubt that local government is a tier of government to operate under that arrangement since 1976, adding however that from 1976 to date a lot of metamorphosis have taken place, some in favour, and some against the operation of local government, especially local government being the grass root administration.
Why assuring them of the support of his executive, he pointed out that they are very conversant with their problems, because himself and three of his commissioners were product of local government administration as former chairmen.
He regretted that when democracy came in the local government system was bastardized but he added that it now has enough capacity to organise itself, because at the grassroots are wiser and want to know what happened to their money.
According to him, “when this democracy came in, the local government system was bastardized. You can recall when teachers could not be paid their salaries, while the money was there to be paid. But now things are changing, things have changed a lot. I believe even the communities are more conscious of what happen to their money. So you can find that, that is difficult to happen now.”
The Kano State Governor said: “Local government administration is a very, very difficult administration because anybody in the community, who cannot take his three square meals a day will look at local government as being responsible. That is why many experience people are running away from being the chairman of local government.
“We are conversant with your problems, some are constitutional problems, and some are within the power of the states in order to do something about it. In my cabinet here, I have former chairmen of local government.
“The Commissioner of Agriculture was a local government chairman elected, the commissioner of Environment elected former chairman, and the third was even secretary to local government and chairman of local government, a commissioner of Local Government and now the governor of Kano State. So you can see that we are fairly conversant with the issues of local government.”
He hinted, however that one of the problems of local government is capacity.

“One of the problems of local government is capacity; capacity from the ALGON aspect, not from the NULGE aspect because there are two major divisions that are working together. The civil service aspect, that is NULGE, and the political aspect which is ALGON. They work together.
“Now the major problem is from the ALGON side as far as capacity is concern because it is the one that is based on election. If you are lucky to elect somebody matured, somebody with knowledge, somebody with political will, then your local government can flourish. If you are not lucky you have a chairman who is not matured, who is not well educated, who is lacking experience and since election is based on popular vote, if you happen to have that one, then there is a problem.
“No matter what the constitution says about the freedom of local government, that local government will still have a problem because even the freedom can be used to manipulate the operations of the local government.”
On the protest rally, he said: “We appreciate your problem and we know that your problems cannot be solved unless you undertake the exercise you are undertaking now because it will require advocacy, it will require public enlightenments, it will require the attention of the National Assembly, the President, state governors and state legislators.”
Led by Khaleel, the peaceful rally commenced at the popular Sani Abacha Stadium, at Kofar-mata, to the State House of Assembly and to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, at the Audu Bako Secretariat, where they presented their position to the Speaker and the SSG respectively.