BETWEEN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTONOMY AND ITS FINANCIAL VIABILITY: MY HUMBLE TAKE!

BETWEEN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTONOMY AND ITS FINANCIAL VIABILITY: MY HUMBLE TAKE!
                                By:
            Nurudeen Dauda
             9/12/16.
nurudeendauda24@yahoo.com
nurudeendauda24@gmail.com 
nurudeendauda.blogspot.com

Permit me to add my voice on local government administration in Nigeria. As a student of "comparative" local government administration I study our local government administration with keen interest. It is a fact whether anybody wants to "hear" it or that the "BULK" of Ghost workers in Nigeria are in the local governments. In local government administration there is a lot of workers "absenteeism", "truancy" and "redundancy".some of the workers only visit their offices on the 25th of every month for salary. There is low productivity and too much inefficiency among its employees. Of course, there are few "honest" and "dedicated" workers.

Local governments' "autonomy" is needed, but in my humble opinion, what is badly needed is their financial viability. Financial viability is needed more than anything in the local government system. Please don't miss quote me! I believe in local governments autonomy too.The local government councils are not self sustaining. Due to the collapse in the oil revenue virtually all the local governments in most states cannot pay salaries even with federal allocations. Even the 36 States of the federation (except of course Lagos state) are all monthly allocation centres. Without allocation from the federation account only Lagos state can pay salaries. What is the secret? Well that forms a topic for another days discussions.

The recent move by the National Assembly to amend the constitution in order to provide for fixed tenure of three (3) years for local governments is a steep in the right direction.As it were the state House of Assembly holds the power to determine the tenure of local governments. About 98% of 774 local governments presently have no elected members but  Caretakers committee. However, in my view, apart from fixed tenure for local governments, the National Assembly needs to make a law that will abolish state electoral bodies (commissions). Almost 100% of the elections conducted by the state electoral commissions are won by the party that rules in the state. We also need to remove primary education from local governments authorities in order to improve the teachers welfare and ensure regular payments of salaries.

The issue of stoppage of monthly allocation to local governments without elected members by the National Assembly in my understanding it is just playing to the gallery. Monthly allocation is done by the executive not legislature. Although using revenue laws. In the past when crude oil was sold at above $100 States Governors are in the having of hijacking local governments revenue from the federation account in the named of joint account.I don't support joint account either! With the collapse of crude oil from as "high" as $115 to as "low" as $27 in January, 2016 many local governments even if their monies are made available to them they cannot pay their salaries much less executing "capital projects ". If we must develop at local and states levels then we must stop our reliance on federal government's allocation and improve on tax collection, blockage of leakages,cost cutting measures, Ghost workers elimination and investments.

May God bless Nigeria!

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