Nothing Like Local Government Autonomy In Nigeria -Aregbesola
Governor Rauf Aregbesola of Osun State has said that there can never be local government autonomy in Nigeria, saying under the 1999 constitution of the country, that arm of government is an appendage of the state governments.
The Governor, who stated this while delivering his lecture at a one day conference on the second Anniversary of the South-West in National governance with the theme ‘South-West To Abuja: A Mid -term Appraisal’, organised by Urban Media Resources Limited in Osogbo argued that there cannot be autonomy for Local governments because they are absolutely under the control and ambience of the state.
He posited that the only organ of the state empowered by the constitution to make laws for them is the state parliament.
He emphasised that the presidential system the country is operating is too expensive for its economy to cope with, thereby advocating for a parliamentary system which is less expensive.
According to him, giving autonomy to local government simply amounts to disruption of the federal system of government.
Aregbesola opined that though the current system may have encouraged corruption, the solution to such anomaly is not total removal of local government from its original body, which is the state.
The Governor described the belief gaining ground that local governments in Nigeria should be independent of state governments as totally strange and anti-federalism.
He noted that there are only two tiers of government in a federal system of government, namely the Federal government and the government at the federating level.
According to him, “Nigeria is not just a Republic, but a Federal Republic, a federal state is where every distinction of nationality is recognised, respected and honoured. None of the units of the Federation is therefore superior to the other. Every unit is empowered by law to administer itself under the general guideline of the constitution.
“Another anomaly that people, because of their frustration to some aspects of administration, are equally making mistake on and need to be corrected about, is that a federation has two tiers of government. There cannot be three tiers in a federation. The moment you have three tiers, you no longer have a federation”.
Aregbesola emphasised that the problem with the administration of Local Government in Nigeria can be corrected within the limits of the laws of the state in a federation.
He noted that it is not by assaulting the fundamental principle of federalism that the challenges and weakness being faced by the administration of local governments can be corrected.
The Governor also said that Nigeria remains a poor country not because the country was blessed with necessary resources, but in its present state, due to the culture of indolence among the citizenry.
He attributed the pace of insecurity in the country to lack of productivity among Nigerians, saying if 50 million out 170 million Nigerians resolve to work for wealth, Nigeria will become the most productive nation among the black race.
He averred that the status of Nigeria as a developing country is characterised by the failure to inculcate in her citizenry, the culture of work for wealth, which is known as the basis for development of advanced nations of the world.
