For Effective Grassroots Governance

editorial

For sometime now there has been a clamour for autonomy for local governments in the country.

Proponents of the idea hinged their arguments on the need to develop the grassroots following the refusal of the states to allow local governments function effectively.

Furthermore, they submitted that since local governments are closer to the grassroots, they should be granted autonomy to be able to act effectively as the third tier of government as stipulated in the constitution.

Supporters of autonomy for local governments also accused the state governments of appropriating funds meant for local governments, giving them only a small amount barely enough to pay salaries of workers in the councils.

They blamed the inability of the local governments to carry out minor repairs on roads and render other services to the people at the grassroots on the non release of their constitutionally approved allocations to them by the states.

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But to counter the arguments of proponents of autonomy for local governments, Chairman of the Governors’ Forum, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, on Friday vowed to kill any move to grant autonomy to local governments in the country.

He said governors would not support any move to accord local governments a federating status in the constitution.

It is our contention that the federal government should stop dabbling into the affairs of local councils. It should be the prerogative of a state to create as many local councils as it wishes for administrative convenience and should also be responsible for the funding.

It is time we do away with the distortion in our federal constitution and practice true federalism as obtained in advanced democracies.

At this period of our development, every effort should be channeled towards reducing the powers of the federal government. More allocations should be given to the federating units for development at the grassroots.

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