Blame FG For LGs Non-performance –Ikuforiji

The Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, has identified the Federal Government as the reason for the dismal performance of local governments in the country.

According to Ikuforiji, “The Federal Government is responsible for the crisis facing the local government system in our country today.

“The fact is that the Federal Government is killing the local governments. As you all know, the amount of money taken by the Federal Government from the national revenue as its own share is too much.

“Imagine the Federal Government taking over 50 per cent, and leaving less than 50 per cent for the 36 states and local governments. It is very sad that only a pittance is left for our local governments.

“And that cannot solve the major capital projects that ought to be done by the local governments. The huge amount taken by the Federal Government is the reason the local government is being perceived as irrelevant nationwide.

“There is no doubt that if the local government is well funded, it will become easier for that tier of government to perform to the admiration of the people at the grassroots level,” he added.

The Speaker submitted that it is only when the local governments are adequately funded that the people can become interested in what goes on at that level.

He explained that what the founding fathers of the local government system in Nigeria had in mind at the beginning was “a system of government that will be closest to the people and be able to impact positively on the lives of the people.”

Ikuforiji, however, said it is sad that the dream of the founding fathers of the local government system in Nigeria had been defeated going by the manner in which the Federal Government takes the lion share of the nation’s revenue, thus leaving the states and local governments to become beggars.

“The Federal Government must not take more than 30 per cent in the new formula. It must also be made to urgently review the revenue sharing formula such that it will now make the local and state governments have more money to cater for the needs of the people since they remain closest to the people.

“The fact really is that the Federal Government cannot afford to delay this any further. Any attempt to delay the review may pose serious problems for the nation.”

Ikuforiji also stressed the position of the people in the eventual transformation of the local government system, admitting that “no meaningful transformation at the grassroots level can succeed without the people.”

Asked to comment on the noticeable apathy on the part of the people in the recent local government elections in the state, the Speaker said: “While the people themselves cannot be blamed entirely for that, the fact, however, is that they must be educated from time to time on the importance of the local government to their well-being.

“So, they should always be highly interested in what goes on at that level of governance,” he concluded.