‘Let Constitutional Reforms Guarantee Full LGA Autonomy’
Amby Uneze in Owerri
The Citizens Centre for Integrated Development and Social Rights (CCIDESOR) and ‘CSO Situation Room’, have called for urgent constitutional reforms, particularly the amendment of section 162 of the nation’s 1999 constitution to guarantee full autonomy of the Local Government Areas (LGAs) and establish a citizen-driven accountability frame work.
CCIDESOR and Situation Room are worried that despite significant monthly allocations from the Federal Accounts, the nation’s 774 LGAs have largely failed to deliver their constitutional mandate of providing primary education, primary health care, rural infrastructure and agricultural development.
The Executive Director of the non-governmental organisation, Dr. Emeka Ononamadu, made the call while briefing journalists in Owerri, capital of Imo State, on the topic: ‘Local Government Autonomy and Improved Accountability: A Pathway to Rural Development, Economic Growth and Democratic Deepening in Nigeria’, stressing that the persistent underdevelopment at the local government level, despite substantial financial allocations had raised serious concerns about governance.
According to Ononamadu, CCIDESORS and Situation Room’s field monitoring of capital projects analysis across selected LGAs in the Southeast revealed that while allocated funds are not translating into visible development, capital projects are limited, poorly prioritised or misaligned.
Ononamadu regretted that despite consistent increase in federal allocations, rural communities in the country still remain underdeveloped, primary schools under funded and deteriorating, just as health centres lack basic capacity and agricultural productivity remains low.
Continuing, the CCIDESOR boss revealed that CCIDESOR’s survey of selected LGAs confirmed that the number and quality of capital projects are grossly disproportionate to funds received, with projects often politically motivated rather than needs-based, just as transparency in budget implementation is extremely weak.
Ononamadu chronicled the odds inhibiting effective service delivery by the LGAs to include: lack of financial autonomy, weak accountability frame work, political suppression by state actors, misplaced development priorities, lamenting that poor investment in primary education has led to weak foundational learning, declining quality of secondary and tertiary education as well as reduced global competitiveness of the nation’s students.
He insisted that autonomy for LGAs would among other things enhance transparency and accountability, enable direct citizen engagement improve service delivery, reduce corruption and waste and thus strengthen grassroots democracy. Ononamadu implored the federal government to initiate immediate constitutional amendment to remove state joint LGAs Account, establish direct allocation mechanism to LGAs, strengthen oversight through anti-corruption agencies and also develop national accountability framework to the LGAs.
Furthermore, he charged the National Assembly to fast-track amendment of Section 162, enact laws guaranteeing LGAs financial independence and to mandate public disclosure of LGAs budgets and expenditures, strengthen legislative oversight functions.
Additionally, Ononamadu insisted that state governments should desist from interfering with local government’s funds and administration, respect democratic governance at the local level, provide technical support to them rather than control and ensure that enabling laws align with autonomy principles.
Invariably, he charged the councils to publish budgets and financial reports regularly, engage citizens in participatory budgeting, prioritise constitutional responsibilities and strengthen internal accountability systems.
“Nigeria stands at a critical juncture. The failure of local governance has contributed significantly to rural poverty, weak service delivery and declining public trust, granting full autonomy to the LGAs is not governance, it is a national development imperative,” he stated.
