A civic organisation, the New Nigeria Voice, has expressed its support for the Nigerian government for taking the 36 State Governors of the Federation to the Supreme Court over their “unlawful and unconstitutional action and inaction” in the administration of the local government areas.
The group in statement by its Executive Secretary, Omokehinde Agbedina, said that the Governors of the states must stop the diversion of funds belonging to the local governments of the federation.
According to the group, the withholding, and diverting of Councils funds has inadvertently stalled every possibility of development in the local governments, the very critical third tier of the federation, which the constitution established.
The organisation insisted that the council Chairmen are equal partners with the governor and not their appendages like the governors and not an appendages to the President of the country but equal partners in the administration of the country.
“New Nigeria Voice is poised to coordinate and mobilise civil society across the federation in support of the federal government and achieved true autonomy for the local government, consequently a one-day protest action in support of the federal government will soon be declared to that effect.”
It added, “The chairman is the elected head of a government in their own rights, not a minion of the Governor. The Governor of the state is not the boss of the Chairman of a Local Government but share power constitutionally. The same constitution guarantees their various offices at different levels. The governor is to the Local government chairman, primus inter pares (First among equals); just as the president is to the governor, primus inter pares.
“The president of the federation does not have the power or authority to withhold constitutionally guaranteed funds accruable to the states from the Federation Account, it would amount to a very serious constitutional breach. Under the same principle, a state government breaches the constitution by withholding federal allocations made directly to the local governments through revenue apportionments.
“The governor and the Local Government Chairman are constitutionally equal. They are both elected heads of different tiers of government. They both answer to the electorate. Whereas the governor answers to the State Assembly, the Local Government Chairman answers to the elected Legislative Council of the Local Government.
“All these are very clearly and carefully laid out in the Nigerian constitution, but the governors have made certain that no funds came to the local government directly,” the group lamented, adding that “the state governors have treated the local governments as mere appendages of the governors, to be tolerated at best, but at worse treated like dependencies.
“Under the schedule of functions, the local governments have their duties very clearly established by the constitution, and these have a direct bearing on the economic and social life of Nigerians.”
However, the group stated that the deliberate subversion of local governments by the states, “especially by the governors is ill-thought, and it is illegal and unconstitutional”.
The New Nigeria Voice, however, blamed the state House of Assembly for the ugly development because of their complicit as they ought to make laws to compel the governors to disburse the funds to Local governments.
“The failure, even to conduct elections, and establish the local governments properly has led to severe economic decline, underdevelopment, and promote poverty. Some state and local government elections have not been held for more than 15 years, and as a result, local governments have not functioned as they should. We now have a massive economic blight at the grassroots. The small businesses, as the engine of local economies and economic growth, have all nearly disappeared. It is tragic.”
It called on Nigerians seeking good and transparent government, and prosperity at the local governments to rise up now and push, not only to get the State Governors to give a full account of the local government funds they have diverted, but to return the funds to the local governments so that they can function.
“The citizens and the civil society should actively support the federal government’s action. The failure of the political class (The Governors) to allow a truly Democratic and autonomy of the Local Government is one of the key issues that is negatively affecting the country’s development and growth.”
It insisted that democracy and economic inclusion could only be achieved if the government was owned by the people, adding that this could only be achieved through a truly democratic grassroots governance.
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