The
Chairman of Senate Committee on FCT, Sen. Smart Adeyemi, on Sunday said
he would spearhead a nationwide protest to resist moves by State
Governors to oppose local governments’ autonomy.
He said it was
unconstitutional for the governors not to allow the local government
areas have autonomy in the management of their finances. Adeyemi said
this while speaking with newsmen in Abuja.
The Senator also described the Nigeria Governor's Forum (NGF) as alien to the nation's Constitution.
Adeyemi said it
would amount to a breach of the Constitution for state governors not to
allow financial autonomy for the local government, adding that most of
them were oblivious of the sufferings of the people at the grass roots.
Responding to the
Chairman, NGF, Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s assertion on the autonomy of LG
in the country, Senator Adeyemi said there was no provision for a
Governors’ Forum in the US Constitution, which was an advanced
democracy.
He said the Nigerian
situation was quite different from what obtained in the US or any other
part of the world, noting that the Nigerian masses could only feel the
impact of government through the local government.
While commending the
efforts of Governor Amaechi for putting in place various developmental
programmes in Rivers States, he challenged the governor to point at some
of his colleagues who were doing same thing in any of the states in the
country.
"In 1976, when we
had the local government reform, it was to enable us to have as
situation whereby quite a number of the sub-ethnic groups could have an
identity in the first instance and equally, so that they can manage
their own affairs.
"Now if you are
saying you don't want the local government to be autonomous, then why do
we go ahead to vote for the executive and other personnel for the
running of the local government?
"I think it is
unconstitutional for the governors not to allow the local areas to be on
their own in terms of the management of their finances. One, it is a
breach of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. When the
governors were taking their oaths of office, with that sacred document,
they said that will obey and respect the Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria.
“Governor Amaechi is
a very intelligent, articulate and courageous man. But good as all
these qualities are, we are not equally short of those qualities in the
National Assembly. I will equally say that from the interview he
granted, I could now understand and appreciate where he is coming from.
“But the unfortunate
thing is that Rivers State is not Nigeria. What Governor Amaechi is
doing in Rivers State, I wish other governors are doing that. If other
governors are even adding more to the allocations of their local
government areas, then we have no business discussing the autonomy in
the first instance.
“But as the chairman
of the Governors’ Forum, I hope he is taking time to find out what is
happening in the other states of the federation. When I speak, I don't
speak as a Senator or speaking on behalf of Kogi people. I speak as a
Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In essence, my constituency
is Nigeria, first and foremost.
“And when we talk of
contemporary issues, we talk about them because we want good
governance; we want protection of human rights; we want improved
standard of living.
“Now, one of the
hallmarks of democracy is that you talk, I talk; democracy is not about
arrogance. It is about discussing and you come up with superior
arguments and then I will concede to you.
"I saw a lot of what
he was doing and I asked myself a question- I hope this can be done in
the other states of the federation. I don't know if people are scared
the same way I am scared about the high level of poverty in Nigeria; I
don't know whether you people are concerned about the fact there are
millions of Nigerians roaming about the streets without job.
"I don't know
whether you are concerned about the fact that you going round the local
government areas today and there are armies of educated people who are
not employed, roaming the streets; capable of causing revolution
"When we raise
contemporary issues like this, we raise them because we want the best
for our nation. We stir up national discourse so that the intelligentsia
can come together and proffer solutions.
“What I am saying
is, the chairman of the Governors’ Forum should ask his colleagues if
they are doing what he is doing. if they are not doing that, then there
is a reason for us to be concerned.
"In the course of
his interview, I read where he said the Governors’ Forum will not allow
the three tiers to be entrenched in the constitution. But let me say it
to their excellencies that it pays you people to allow the three tiers
of government to survive or else you will not sleep with your two eyes
closed or else your old age would be disturbed.
"These are the
truths. Again, in the course of the interview, the governor said that
there is nowhere in the world where you have a federal system of
government that you have local government being autonomous.
"I will say it to
His Excellency that the federal system of government of our nation is
slightly different from what we have in other nations of the world. Why?
Because of our diversity as a people. Yes, we are One Nigeria but
nobody will want his tribe being oppressed or relegated", Adeyemi said.
He said the local government was the only tier of government that had direct bearing on the lives of people at the grassroots.
Adeyemi said: ``we
will do everything possible to resist any attempt to stop the third tier
of government from being entrenched in the Constitution of the Federal
Republic of Nigeria.
``We the people will
rise against that move. I will join other stake holders including
labour, NULGE to go on a nationwide demonstration.
``I speak this not
only as a Senator. I speak this as a journalist and as a former labour
leader. So let nobody think about a two tier system of government.
``If you make any
attempt to expunge or to reduce the power of the local government, then
it is to prepare for anarchy in a few years to come,’’ he said.
NigerianCompass
No comments:
Post a Comment