Tinubu Must Be Decisive About Local Govt Administration

BY WALE ADEDAYO

Not many Nigerians know the value of our local government system. And that ignorance stems from two major areas: The ignoble role of elected Governors since this Fourth Republic started in 1999, and the attendant lack of knowledge about the roles of local government in a polity like ours.

The hijack of political party leadership by successive Nigerian presidents since 1999, which was successfully copied by the Governors eroded internal democracy within the country’s registered political parties.

The lack of internal democracy has ensured that candidates for elective positions at the local government level are always the nominees of the Governors.

This has ensured that the checks and balances that should have been happening at this lowest level of governance in Nigeria have been non-existent since 1999 to the extent that citizens who attained adulthood in this Fourth Republic now believe, naively, that this is the usual practice, instead of being an aberration.

A functioning local government should be able to ensure adequate security, provide meaningful healthcare services, ensure quality early and adult education, boost the local economy and provide much-needed infrastructure in all the areas it controls.

Being the foundation upon which each state of the Federation stands, a local government should be the first port of call for aggrieved citizens, who today often vent their frustrations upon both the state and Federal Governments.

Policies by both the Federal and State Governments to alleviate suffering in the land MUST have roots in the local governments If it is to have an enduring effect. These range from Agriculture, Healthcare services, Education, Infrastructure and Employment to succour for the less privileged at the bottom of the social and economic ladder. If these policies do not take firm root at the local government level, citizens will continue to feel as if both the Federal and State Governments are not doing anything to alleviate their sufferings.

Funds are crucial for any local government to make the impact of Government policies felt. And, these come from two primary sources: Federation Account Allocation, which is disbursed on a monthly basis and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), sourced locally by the third tier of Government backed by the 1999 Constitution. Sadly, both sources of primary funding for local government operations have largely been hijacked by State Governors since 1999.

And, it appears that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu understand these facts, thus the speed with which he reached out to the Supreme Court for a definite pronouncement to enable the 774 local governments in Nigeria have uninhibited access to their Federal Allocations. Of course, this is just one step out of two, with the outstanding being the encroachment on constitutionally provided means of IGR for the local governments by State Governments.

Yes, Mr. President has constituted a Technical Committee, consisting of all stakeholders in the local government system to ensure an effective take-off of the landmark decision by the Supreme Court. But a sure implementation of the committee’s recommendations appears to still be far away from becoming a reality. Meanwhile, if this does not happen on time, the average citizen will continue to believe that the many interventions initiated by Tinubu to make life easy for the people are nothing short of lies. Mr. President need redouble his efforts in making the Supreme Court judgment a reality by fast-tracking its implementation.

Of course, some Governors, who are against direct funding of local governments, are already up in arms against Tinubu. Mr. President, in accordance with the promise he made shortly after being elected, must be ready for a face-off with these canker worms and locusts of a new Nigeria by ensuring that these looters of our commonwealth fail!

Tinubu also should not forget the second leg of the challenges being faced by local governments in Nigeria: Every and any law passed on behalf of these locust Governors by their pliant State Houses of Assembly to deny local governments their constitutionally provided sources of IGR, should be stepped down.

Lastly, being the presumed leader of the ruling political party in Nigeria today, Tinubu need to steer the country back to the path of the First and Second Republics, when Internal Democracy among the country’s political parties reigned supreme. Without Internal Democracy to guide the choice of party candidates towards an election, we will continue to move round in circles of poor governance and impoverishment.

Hon. Wale Adedayo is a former Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government, Ogun State