Workers and Members of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Ondo State on Tuesday protested against lawmakers who voted against the local government autonomy in the constitution being reviewed by the National Assembly.
The protesting workers, who shut down the state House of Assembly complex in Akure, vowed that “no autonomy, no election in Ondo State in 2023.
Abimbola Babalola, national vice president, of NULGE, said the Local government system must be autonomous and urged the state lawmakers to do the needful by passing the autonomy bill into law.
While imploring the legislature to accelerate the process required for the total autonomy of the local government system, Babalola appealed to Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to desist from mounting pressure on the lawmakers to vote against the local government autonomy.
Babalola said Akeredolu has no reason to put pressure on the lawmakers to reject the autonomy as they voted for him for a second term because he guaranteed them the autonomy they requested during the election.
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Also speaking, the state president of NULGE, Bola Taiwo, urged Akeredolu not to tow the path of other states that opposed autonomy.
Taiwo said they would not allow the Assembly members to have access to the complex unless they guarantee them the passage of the local government autonomy.
The NULGE officials also threatened to paralyse social, economic and political activities in the state if the assembly refused to pass the local government autonomy bill pending before them into law.
Recall that there was an alleged pressure on the House of Assembly from the executive arm of government to vote against the local government autonomy in the new constitution being reworked by the National Assembly.
A reliable source within the assembly where the issue of constitutional amendment was discussed, said the majority of the lawmakers were on shouting match over whether or not the issue of local government autonomy should be jettisoned or not.
The NULGE officials who were at the assembly complex with different placards, said they would use their voting power to reject any lawmaker or party that denied them the local government autonomy.
Some of the inscriptions on the placards read “Yes to LG autonomy” “Yes to judicial autonomy” “No autonomy, No vote” and “On autonomy we stand”, among others.
