Ondo Federal Lawmaker Declares Support For LG Autonomy

By Niyi Olutunde, Akure 

A Federal Lawmaker, representing Akure North/South Federal Constituency of Ondo State, Hon. Afe Olowookere, has thrown his full weights behind an independent financial autonomy for the local government.

Olowookere declared that giving the local government an autonomy will help deepened the dividence of democracy in at the grassroots level.

He stated this on Tuesday shortly after receiving a letter of commendation from members of the Correspondents Chapel of Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in Ondo state.

His words, “I believed that the local government autonomy is the best if we want to really say that we are practising democracy.

“If at that level we don’t not allow it, then, where is the democracy, our constitution is saying that the system of the local government should be by democratically elected council.

“And the section 4 of the constitution stated that, the people must be allow to participate in the government of their own.

“From my own experience as a former councillor and supervisory councillor in the local government, there is nothing that is better than the Local Government to be autonomous”.

Besides, Olowookere also said that the National Assembly has the constitutional power to reorder elections maintaining that the arrangements of the election was part of the electoral law and the act and the prerogatives of the legislative arm of the government.

The Federal lawmaker stated that since members of National Assembly has the power to pass the electoral act, they can determine the sequence of the elections in the country.

“National Assembly has constitutional power to reorder election since they have to pass electoral act and the arrangement of the election is part of the electoral law and the act is the prerogative of the legislative arm of the government.

“Reordering in itself, let me say this, that there is a concept that is called majority tyranny. It means even atimes majority legislators may be wrong but since they are the majority their decisions may prevail.

“The reordering may be an idea of some members and they brought it as a bill and it was discussed.

“But there are some of us who are not in support and argued that the reordering would cost us more money because instead of having the election twice, it will now be three times.

“Since the majority opinion favoured it, then, it is binding on all of us. We have to take responsibility for it.

“This is not the first time we are going to have things like this. I remember in 2003 when we have it.

“The President still have the power of assent also too the National Assembly have the power to override of his refusal to assent to the bill”.

Olowokere also identified the State – Local Government Joint Account (FAAC) and existence of State Independent Electoral Commission has the major instruments being used by the government against the local governments.

He added that until the two clauses are amended in the constitution, it might be too difficult for the country to really have a highly independent and financial local government.

According to him, he had sponsored bills on the floor of the National Assembly to abrogate the two clauses during review of the constitution.

“Practically, there are two things now that the state are using to hold down the local government – the state local government joint account and the existence in our constitution the state Independent Electoral Commission

“Until we amend those two provisions in our constitution, that is, to abrogate the state Independent electoral commission because as long as that exist, we cannot have a local government that will be autonomous.

“The state government would continue to use that instruments to determine the party that will win elections in the state.

“And you are aware that there has never be any state in the Nigeria, either control by APC or PDP that has conducted local government election and won’t clear it.

“This is always made possible by the State Independent Electoral Commission because who plays the piper dictate the tune” he maintained.

Olowokere observed that nearly all the state governors prefer to use caretaker chairmen to oversee affairs of council areas in the grassroots than conducting transparent election for substantives.

He said that those now being appointed as caretaker are not accountable to the people but only answerable to the power that gave them the appointments.

Though, the federal lawmaker said there was no constitutional provision backing up the local government but its system is very practicable in the Nigeria.

He explained that the Local Government was the best during 1991 and 1993 as it was then receiving its allocation directly from Federal Government account.

He stated that the local government was also responsible for the recruitments of primary school teachers and that of the primary health workers in the grassroots

“Then, it was the golden era of the local government but what we have today is not local government, is just mere local administration because none these local government can do anything without taking instruction from the state”.

However, The federal lawmaker said that his services at the local government has also boosted his career at the National Assembly and to deepened dividence of democracy in his constituency.