Prominent Nigerians, including Governor Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State and constitutional lawyer Prof. Itse Sagay, have described as an aberration the ongoing clamour for local government autonomy in the country.
Speaking on the theme: ‘Local Government Authority: How Autonomous?’ organized by CMC Connect in Lagos yesterday, Aregbesola said it is only in Nigeria where three tiers of government are being recognized for in a federal system of government.
“How was the local government administration about 25 years ago? Outside Nigeria, which other country does allocate money to local governments. The issue of local government autonomy has been on for years. There can’t be three tiers of governments in a federal system of government.
“There is no provision for local government in a federal structure. It is only the state and federal governments that exist in the federal system. Local government administration must not be seen as something outside the state purview,” Aregbesola said.
Speaking in the same vein, constitutional lawyer Prof. Itse Sagay submitted that there was no reason to agitate for local government autonomy since Nigeria is an autonomous entity.
He argued that local governments are part and parcel of the states within which they are situated and that its administration has nothing to do with federal government.
DailyTrust
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