Tough times await APC governors as NASS is bent on financial autonomy for LGs

Many governors may need to battle with new financial rule which the ongoing review of 1999 Constitution intends to ratify when Ad-Hoc Committee of National Assembly completes its review of the Constitution, bringing about the much needed financial and administrative autonomy for local government councils.
According to Leo Ogor, Minority Leader, Federal House of Representatives, the move became imperative following constant clamour and complaints from the administrators and political office holders in all the legally-recognised 774 local government areas across the 36 states and federal capital territory, Abuja.
He also declared that quite a large number of governors are not ready to do away with undue overbearing influence and control over funds meant for local government councils as well as allowing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct elections into local government councils.
He noted that although there had been attempts in the past by the lawmakers to review the Constitution against joint projects finance and funds distribution from Federation Accounts directly to local government in the past, which did not materialise, he assured Nigerians that National Assembly would ensure that such was achieved in the present struggle.
He said: “We have started early, we are aware that there are challenges in the review of the present day constitution and we are all hopeful that, it is better to do something than to leave it undone.
“So, we believe and we are convinced beyond reasonable doubt that this amendment will scale through because we are mindful of the fact that we started early and we are almost at the conclusion stage where the State House of Assembly would be involved in the whole amendment of the Constitution.”
Corroborating the position of National Assembly at the just concluded Retreat held on the 1999 Constitution Review in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, tagged ‘Resolutions of the Special Ad-Hoc Committee on the Review of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (As Amended),’ claims to give financial and administrative autonomy to Local Government Councils.
BDSUNDAY recalls that some governors in the Southwest states, especially in Lagos, Ogun, Osun and Oyo states have increased number of local councils in the name of Local Government Development Areas (LCDAs) where funds that are originally allocated to legally recognised local government councils go to such LCDAs.
In Ogun State for instance, funds that come from the Federation Accounts are shared monthly by the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) in addition to the laws passed by the State House of Assembly on harmonisation of taxes and levies in which all fees that are due to local councils are channeled to the state’s coffers, in addition to joint finance of projects across the state.
This however, prompted BDSUNDAY’s question to the Ad-Hoc Committee of National Assembly on 1999 Constitution Review headed by Sulaiman Lasun Yusuf, Deputy Speaker on what would be the fate of LCDAs created by the APC states when National Assembly is now moving to give financial autonomy to Local Government Councils?
He responded thus, “First and foremost when we are presenting constitution, our parties don’t even come into it at all, it is not even APC or PDP. All over the World, centre of development should be at the grassroots, because we are talking about people. People don’t exist in vacuum. They all come from small component of the society, from the family to the compound, to your village to your town.
“In fact if you look at the structure of government, Local Government defines an individual even more than a state, and so it is not the question of APC, PDP or APGA. We are talking about Nigeria Constitution and we have discovered that over time, Local Governments are no longer existing, it is not even a question of whether elections were conducted or not.”

 

RAZAQ AYINLA