The immediate past chairman, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Oyo State, Abass Aleshinloye, has said recent judgment of Supreme Court on local government autonomy will enhance people’s popular participation in democracy and development of grassroots economy.
He described the judgment as long expected and needed tonic to the suffocating and dying third tier of government which is the closest to the people.
Alesinloye, a two term local government chairman of Oluyole local government who recently led other local councils’ chairmen to a remarkable Supreme Court judgment against illegal dissolution of local government chairmen and councilors by Governor Seyi Makinde, said the current Supreme Court judgment will further reinforce earlier judgments.
He added that the judgment will also make local government to be more effective, responsive, responsible and service oriented in delivery of its basic functions and make life easier and better for our people.
He said: “No democracy in the world can survive without a properly organized, democratic and financially viable and independent local council to fulfil the expectations of our poor, productive, struggling masses of our people who are main producers of our commonwealth.
“With this new victory of financial independence, I call on all serving local government chairmen, executives, councilors, supervisory councilors, career officers, to see this opportunity to double their efforts, be more dedicated to serve our people better in giving them their well-deserved dividends of democracy to all nooks and crannies.
“This judgment should not be seen as antagonistic to the state government or governors, but a necessary complementary effort to any sincere governor who is genuinely interested in grassroots and overall development of the states through popular participation where all hands must be on deck to perform at the utmost level.
“Our people at the grassroots should now be more sensitive and conscious in demanding good governance, projects, programmes and revenue, expenditure monitoring.
“May I advise my brothers and sisters who are now chairpersons of local governments that this Supreme Court judgment of financial autonomy should be judiciously used to develop our grassroots to the best of their abilities because there shouldn’t be any excuse of governors hijacking local government allocations or suffocating the council. It’s not an avenue to loot funds and become a threat to good governance.
“Please be reminded that EFCC, NFIU and ICPC are still very much alive to their responsibilities. The implication here is if a local government chairman for example gets 300m and decides to hand over 200m to his governor, he will be called by EFCC and he should remember he has no immunity like his governor
“The media is hereby appealed to dedicate more time and focus on the expected change for good at the local government level. This is a golden opportunity to make our local council more effective and efficient. I thank President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his dedication to make local government people-focused.”
