LG autonomy: NULGE goes spiritual, begins nationwide prayers

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), has resorted to the spiritual power of prayer as it began a prayers session to actualize its battle for local government political and financial autonomy.

The union, led by its National President, Comrade Olatunji Ambali, organised a nationwide prayer session for the actualization of local government autonomy in the country. The prayer was organised simultaneously across the 774 local governments areas in the country.

Addressing the session organized at the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) for the Federal Capital Territory, the NULGE national president blamed the raging insecurity of lives and property across the country on the forceful take over of the functions of local government administration by the governors.

According to Ambali, if full political and financial autonomy of local government is achieved, it would help to address all the challenges bedevilling the nation, especially the problems of insecurity, adding that all the problems are local.

He said: “We are here to pray for a better Nigeria. This crusade is not only for the clamour for a minimum wage,  rather, but we are also proving to the world that NULGE consists of patriotic Nigerians who mean well for this nation, who think and pray for the existence and progress of the Local Government.

“Everyone can testify that Local Governments have been raped over time. It has witnessed systematic destruction as a result of misrule, diverting and stealing of local government funds. Thereby, hindering progressive development at the grassroots. No wonder, as of today, we have been bedevilled by insecurity, poverty, deprived and engulfed by unemployment because of the failing system at the local government.

“Money meant for growth and development, money meant to ensure that the dividends of democracy get to the nooks and cranny of the country were diverted. They are doing that because of the lacuna in our Constitution under section 162 of the 1999 Constitution, which created the Joint Allocation Account Committee.

“This has turned to a conduit pipe through which money meant for development are being syphoned. Consequently, section 7 of the same 1999 Constitution, guarantees the existence of a democratic system of government in Local Government.

“However, when you go further, there is confusion where it states that the House of Assembly can legislate over the structure, funding and continuity of local government operations.

“State governments hide under these Acts to perpetrate these atrocities against the people of Nigeria and we say it is time to fix Nigeria. Time to fix the local government system because once we fix the local government, we have fixed Nigeria.”

According to Ambali, local government is most strategic and that the majority of problems currently facing the country are traceable and could be fixed with the actualization of local government autonomy, adding, “when we achieve local government autonomy, all these problems shall seize automatically.

On the issue of conduct of election to local government, NULGE again advocated that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should conduct local government elections to ensure a transparent procedure.

“The process of electing and appointing people to man the affairs of the local government is no longer acceptable. It lacks transparency and credibility. The conduct of elections by the states electoral commission is not acceptable. It does not represent the political and aspirations of Nigerians.”

The NULGE president called on all patriotic Nigerians to join the struggle for the actualization of local government autonomy, saying, “we are also calling for full financial autonomy for the local government. Let local governments be empowered to use their funds to develop the local government.”

Ambali added: “It is a thing of concern that local government councils have been violated by state governors unabated which has led to total collapse. The local government administration has witnessed systematic destruction as a result of misrule. We have continued to witness the stealing of local government funds which has continued to militate against progressive development at the grassroots level. Money that is meant for the development at the grassroots levels is continually diverted and looted by the state governors.”

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