Strong LG System Panacea To Security Challenges, Under-development – Fmr President Jonathan
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Nigeria’s immediate past President, Dr Goodluck Jonathan has made a case for a strong and effective local government system as a panecea to Under-development and the security challenges the country faces currently.
Jonathan opined that the security challenges experienced in the country would be better tackled, if the local governments are strengthened as they are closer to the grassroots and know their challenges and how to tackle them.
He made the statement when in audience with the National leadership of the National Union of Local Government Employees ( NULGE) at his county home, Otuoke in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
The former president, emphazied that there is need to reform the system to meet current realities in the country, added that the local government system be taken as a priority in whatever restructuring discussed.
According to him; “The greatest problem we have in Nigeria is that our local government system is weak. Whatever restructuring to be discussed, the local governments must be considered. As long as we have weak local government as third tier of government, we will not be able to manage the country.”
The former president advocated the abolition of appointments of sole administrators or caretakers to head local government councils by State governors, maintaining that the autonomy of local government councils is the only pathway to rapid development of the country.
He lamented that such appointments makes appointees answerable to the governor, instead of working for the development of the rural areas and people.
He said” If I were to be in the National Assembly, I would have pushed for a law to prohibit appointments into the local government councils. The issue of appointment makes local governments part of States administration which ought not to be. The constitution makes it clear that democratically elected people should be in charge for a period.
“The president should manage the nation, the governors should manage their States, chairman or mayor should manage the local government.
“Until as a nation, we are able to do that, we will not be able to show good governance and good administration to the country. No matter how good what Mr President will do, it will be difficult to impact the people at the grassroots.”
The president, who promised to lend his voice to calls for local government autonomy, tasked the labour leaders to also work towards the strengthening of the system, noting that there are anomalies such as over employment and workers’ truancy which needed to be corrected.
Earlier, the National president of NULGE, Mr Akeem Olatunji Ambaly ,stated that they were on an advocacy visit to solicit the support of the former president for the actualisation of local government autonomy.
Akeem, who led the delegation of national and zonal leaders of the union on the visit, noted that if the local governments are empowered, the people at the grassroots would feel more impact of governance and that would reduce the current agitations being witnessed across the country.
