The Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Mr Ibrahim Kahleel, has described the actions of some state governors towards the realisation of full autonomy for local governments in Nigeria as selfish, greedy and a major impediment.
Kahleel, who made this claim at a media briefing in Lagos, on Tuesday, as part of the union’s ‘no local government, no nation’ sensitisation campaign in the South-Western part of Nigeria, argued that while the nation’s constitution was clear and unequivocal on the need for a full autonomy for the local governments in the country, state governors had continued to act against the constitution by paralysing local governance.
He stated that the union had flagged off a campaign in six geopolitical zones of the country as a way of sensitising Nigerians to the imperative of having an autonomous local government administration and its inherent benefits.
“The state governors have been a major impediment to local government autonomy just because of their selfish interests. Resources of local governments which should have been harnessed to develop these communities are being hijacked by the state governments, a development that has hindered growth and development of the local communities.
“What we are saying in this campaign is that local governments should be given full autonomy to enable the people really enjoy the dividends of democracy since they are closest to the people,” he stated.
The NULGE boss, however, disclosed that the union had tabled its inputs on the floor of the National Assembly, on the ongoing constitution reform, part of which was the removal of the state and local government joint account provision, to make local government administratively autonomous.
and then