From ADETUTU FOLASADE-KOYI, Abuja
Senate Committee on Constitution Review (CRC) has cancelled the Internet-based opinion poll on autonomy of local governments in the 1999 Constitution, less than 48 hours after governors of the 36 states vowed to oppose it.
Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi had argued that the local government system could not be considered as a federating unit. Granting autonomy to such a tier of government, the NGF further argued, was illegal as it was alien to the Constitution.
A statement issued by Innocent Mebiri, clerk to the Senator Ike Ekweremadu-led CRC, said the committee had cancelled the opinion poll till further notice, adding that it was doing so because some unscrupulous citizens had introduced alien issues not on the constitution amendment agenda.
“The Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution has cancelled the ongoing opinion poll on the autonomy of the local government. “This has been necessitated by the need to preserve the integrity and credibility of the process as there are attempts by some unpatriotic elements to manipulate the ongoing SMS and online opinion poll on key issues in the present constitution amendment project.
“There is currently a text message circulating around the country which claims that the Senate is presently voting on a Bill aimed at carving out some large portions of land in certain parts of the country as grazing reserves for the Fulani.
The text message therefore invites Nigerians to send ‘NO’ response to 20052 which is the same short code being used by the committee to poll the opinion of Nigerians on issues in the constitution review.
“The committee condemns this action in its entirety and calls on Nigerians to disregard such as it is a devious propaganda to manoeuvre the outcome of the efforts of the committee to ensure popular participation by Nigerians in the constitution amendment project. “The short code is entirely dedicated by the committee to polling the opinion of Nigerians on constitution amendment issues and has absolutely nothing to do with grazing reserves.
“While the cancellation of this voting on this particular subject of local government autonomy is regrettable, the opinion poll will resume in earnest.”
The posiion of the federal govt to keep the money should be on a sealed condition of handing it over to a new regime that is trust worthy or to a group of Deltans under strict supervision for the purpose of creating evenly, infrastructures across the state. Otherwise, of a truth, wit Udughan in charge; na me dey in charge (Ibori). Delta state Elders must be feedin same to the federal Govt for this defence, any how! Long live Delta state.
What is wrong with d LGA being autonomus? D execess of dis criminally minded Govonors should be checked, they are becoming something else. In every cases they will always have their ways. Pls president distabilise dis forum & grant the LGA autonomy so that development will be facilitated in d country.
Must they dance to their tune(governors) insted of the people they represent(masses) is a pity they don’t now their job
We should not even be debating autonomy for LG but their outright cancellation. Alternatively they should be given a zero allocation and change to Development Areas and thei present statury assigned function be taken over by the state govt who should be at liberty to further carve them as desirable and manage from state govt allocation. The corruption and idleness existing at that level is not only massive but very annoying. They claim the governors are not giving them the whole money allocated to them from the federation account but the ‘little’ they admit of receiving we can’t see what is being used for. Instead their idle workers are not paid for months, the community roads are in terrible shapes and the people still fetch drinking water from dirty streams and rivers. The primary schools are dilapidated, their teachers are not paid, the clinics have no drugs and the staff are idle. Indigenes living in major cities and who can afford it must take along with them generators for light whenever they travel to the village because of lack of electricity.The suffering of the people is just too much. Yet the so called chairman is there building mansions and amassing fleet of exotic cars for himself and his wife. When he grudgingly manage to repair a primary school block he sits like a king expecting pple to come and thank him as if he has done them a great favour from his personal wealth. Such arrogance! The same pple suffering their people will still have the effontry to come out to campaign to be elected to the state house of assembly and even the national assembly. And, of course, they always win by ‘settling’ electoral officers with stolen LG money. This is not only sad but very annoying. Let them be scrapped!
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If the constitutional amendment is considering retaining the three tiers of Govt., then the Local Govts should have Fiscal autonomy, especially if the amended constitution still keep all the money in the hands of the Federal Govt. In real federalism, the federating units are given autonomy. In Nigeria the federating Units are not the 36 states, but the Ethnic nationalities identified into 6 Geo-political zones.
This shows that we don’t even k what we are doing, how can the Senate say the Governors did not allow them to give the local government autonomy, if we know the meaning of federal character, State should have autonomy too, the Federal Government should focus on security, finance, but we are talking of Nigeria where every one want absolute power. These people have properties in America therefore they see how the government is run there . But we should not worry these people are writing there own history, for generation to come, they are laying foundation for their children’s children.
THIS IS NAIJACRACY, A SYSTEM WHERE THE DISTINGUISH SENATE IS NAIVE AND ALWAYS DANCE TO THE TUNE OF GOVERNORS, QUITE FUNNY. IN A REALY DEMOCRACY, IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE LEGISLATURE TO CONSULT AND CONDUCT OPINION POLL ON MATTERS OF SUCH NATURE AND NOT TO DANCE TO THE TUNE OF ONLY 36 MEN AS AGAINST OVER 150 MILLION NIGERIANS. I CONSIDER IT ANNOYING FOR GOV. ROTIMI AMECHI TO HAVE OPPOSED THE MOVE SAYING THAT IT IS AN ALIEN CLAUSE TO THE CONSTITUTION. IF WE ARE NOT READY TO INTRODUCE SOME NEW CLAUSE AND AMEND THE OLD ONE, HOW THEN DO WE MOVE FORWARD ? CREATION OF NEW STATES OR LGAS IS ALSO INTRODUCING NEW ITEM BECAUSE THE CONSTITUTION SAYS NIGERIA HAS 36 STATES AND FCT. THE ONE AND ONLY REASON WHY THE SENATE IS SHYING AWAY FROM THEIR CONSTITUTIONAL DUTY IS THAT SOME OF THEM ARE INTERESTED IN BECOMING GOVERNORS TOMMOROW. THIS IS ONE REASON AMONG MANY WHY THE NASS CAN NOT GIVE NIGERIANS QUALITY CONSTITUTION. ALSO THIS IS ANOTHER REASON WHY WE SHOULD HAVE A CONSTUIENT ASSEMBLE TO DRAFT NEW ONE INSTEAD OF BEING IMPEDED BY NEW, ALIEN OR OLD CLAUSE. THE BEAUTY OF A NEW ONE IS THAT NEW IDEAS THAT WILL UNITE AND MOVE OUR NATION FORWARD WILL BE CONSIDERED. NIGERIANS ARE MUST RESIST SUCH EXCESES FROM THESE 36 MEN. A STITCH IN TIME SAVES NINE.
The feelers we are hearing from the Senate about the refusal by governors to grant local government autonomy if it is true is sacrilege. How can the Senate elected, I beg your pardon selected agree to cave in to these selfish and greedy governors? What is wrong with allowing local government to be autonomous? Then there can never be any development in Nigeria till thy kingdom come. So far all the monies accrued to the local government that has been passing the governors, what development there is on the ground to show that those monies were used to better the lives of the masses of the local government. NON! Senate should rethink.
The senate, state governorships are revolving doors for the big boys. They leave the governoprships and become senators; and vice versa. If the LGA’s are unconstitutional, why have them in the first place. I know the 1999 constitution has a place for them, sop Amaechi is wrong. The reasons they are against it has to do with controlling their financial resources, and electoral votes. Nigeria will never cease to amuse me.
Shame to our senators…
Nigeria, what a country!