One thorny issue that has cropped up in the ongoing debate for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution is the type of local government system the nation should operate. While most Nigerians want an independent local government system, others, especially Governors under the aegis of Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), are against moves to grant the councils autonomy. While the debate is still on, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, called for outright scrapping of the councils.
Sanusi had in his presentation at the Second Annual Capital Market Committee Retreat in Warri, Delta Delta, espoused that it is wasteful for the Federal Government to continue to fund the running of 774 councils as a third tier of government in the country.
The CBN boss wants only the Federal and State governments to be retained as tiers of government so as to reduce the amount of money the nation spends in maintaining an over-bloated bureaucracy occasioned by the extant, distorted three tiers of government. Sanusi is disturbed that 70 percent of Federal Government’s revenue is utilised to pay salaries and entitlements of civil servants, leaving 30 per cent for the development of infrastructure for 167 million Nigerians. No doubt, the councils, as run presently, do not constitute a tier of government.
The state governments control the councils, their finances and those selected or elected into them. This possibly explains the overt inability of the councils to develop the rural areas, which the framers of the Constitution had in mind while creating them. Section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution in guaranteeing the local government system states that “The system of local government by democratically elected local government councils is under this Constitution guaranteed; and accordingly, the Governor of every state shall, subject to section 8 of this Constitution, ensure their existence under a law which provides for the establishment, structure, composition, finance and functions of such councils.”
Our experience so far shows that this Constitutional provision has been observed more in breach because most of the 774 councils are run by appointees of the various state governors. The Fourth Schedule of the Constitution states that the functions of a local government council, among other things, include “the consideration and making of recommendations to a state commission on economic planning or any similar body on the economic development of the State, particularly in so far as the areas of authority of the council and of the State are affected”.
Particularly, the councils’ duties include, among others, the collection of rates, radio and television licences, maintenance of cemeteries, establishing and running of markets, outdoor advertising and running of primary schools. Based on the provisions of this schedule, local government system is tailored to be under the control of the state governments, thereby reinforcing the governors’ position on the matter. Therefore, in keeping with Sanusi’s argument on the scrapping of the councils, we call for the amendment of Section 162 (3) of the Constitution, which makes the councils partakers of the proceeds of the Federation Account.
We believe that if this Section is amended, then the present local government system should be scrapped and states can create any number of councils as they deem fit. The beauty of Sanusi’s suggestion is that the 36 states of the federation will constitute the federating units. Adding the 774 councils as federating units to it would be an invitation to anarchy because having such a system would amount to having a state within a state. An autonomous council system will make their chairmen emperors and will ultimately undermine the power of the states over their councils.
Having autonomous 774 governments in addition to the 36 states and the federal government will constitute a huge drain on the economy.
E woo! Chei!! O gini? Ndigbo ndi oma, ndi nwe m na ndi nwe, unu o n’ahukwa ihe m n’ahu ugbu a? Ihe na-esi m o na-esikwa unu? Ndigbo biko mepe anya unu k’unu hu na ike (anya nsi) unu dizi na-ezi. Ndi ndi-ozo juru aju, ha o g’ajuzi onwe ha? Ndigbo, anyi o g’ajuzi onwe anyi? Ike (anya nsi) Ndigbo na-esizi ndi agbata obi anyi, o joro njo! Ihe di njo di njo, ihe di asi di asi. Bikozienu, Ndi Chukwu tere mmanu, Ndigbo oma, ndi nke Chukwu, k’anyi hapu ite onwe anyi unyi n’iru. Ndi ozo jizi anyi mere ihe ochi. Ndi ozo a bu ndi achoghi oganiru anyi, ndi ekpere ha bu otu ha ga-esi hu Ndigbonile na-ime onunu. Eji m anya mmiri ebe a n’asi bikozienu k’anyi hapu igba onwe anyi n’anwu.
Biko umu nne m (OUK na T.Orji), biko obi adighi m mma (o dighi kwa Chukwu) maka otu unu si agba Ndigbo n’anwu, nke kachasi ibe ya njo bu nsogbu ahu ekwesiri idozi na Abia, e wee buru ya ga na nke ndi iro anyi. Ihere o n’emekwa unu? Orji na Orji, kedu ka-unu ji eme onwe unu otu a. Unu gbahara onwe unu maka ndi pdp abughi ndi kwesiri idoziri unu okwu. Ka Chukwu gozie unu nke ukwuu dika unu na-eme otu a.
A choro m iji ohere a (maka anya mmiri m ekweghizi ka m mara ihe m n’eme ugbu a) gwa ndi nile n’asi na OUK mere nke a mee nke a. Kedu ka-onye bu onye igbo g’abia n’ebe a na-ekwu ma obu na-ede ihe enweghi isi (n’asu ya na bekee) ekwugide onyi Igbo ibe ya. Gini ka nwanne gi nke n’agba nbo otu aga-esi chikota Ndigbo onu mere gi. Nkpagbu a nile ndi Naijiria n’akpagbu anyi bu Ndigbo o di unu mma? Anyi hapuru ngba anyi kwesiri igbawa wee gbawazie ozo. Onye obuna bu onye Igbo (ma ndi ochichi) nke amaghi na ndi iro anyi bu ndi Naijiria, onye ahu bu Ewu. Ndi ochichi anyi, unu bilie na-ura, unu dozie ala Igbo ka-odi ka-ebe obibi. Maka oburu na-unu ekweghi ekwe, Anyi bu ndi Ikorobia g’enyere unu aka ma-oge rue.
Ndigbo, oburu na-unu achoghi OUK, biko k’anyi biakota onu jiri otu obi, mezie nghoro nime onweghi, ya buru na ndi Naijiria achoghi k’anyi chia n’afor Puku iri abuo na iri na ise, anyi azowazie Biafra. Ha nile di nfe ma oburu n’anyi abiakota onu ma hukwa onwe anyi n’anya. Onweghi ihe gbara Chineke ghari. Ka Chukwu gozie Ndigbo nile n’aha Jisos, amin.
I g’enweta m na: zero asato zero ato itolu ano zero asato otu itolu abuo
What has this your Orji Uzo Kalu and Theo Orji got to do with the subject and Ndi Igbo at large? Both men are failures. Aba was and remains the dirtiest city in Nigeria under both men. There was no true and committed development under Kalu and none will happen under Theodore.
Given a choice between Kalu and Sanusi as president of Nigeria, it will be sad if any Igbo chooses Kalu. He never demonstrated his desire to develop the Igbo land in 8 years of his governorship of Abia.
I agree with CBN governor Sanusi Lamido on this issue because these LGCs do not serve the desired and useful purposes for which they were established.His opinion for Federal and States government as the only tiers of governments in Nigeria should be generally accepted by well meaning Nigerians.
Even before the so called joint account by the States and their LGCs.The elected Council Chairmen were stealing everything available,so my argument is that the country can develope without the Council Administration and unneccesary dis tractions associated to it.
But I also think and suggest a Regional Gogernment structure is still the best for the Country.
I GAVE SANUSI THUMB UP WHEN HE TOLD NIGERIANS THE PERCENTAGE OF OUR MONEY CONTROLLED BY OUR NATIONAL ASSEMBLY ONLY. I FELT LIKE PUNCHING HIM WHEN HE SUGGESTED 50% REDUCTION OF OUR PUBLIC SERVICE BUT FOR THIS ONE ON SCRAPPING OF THIRD TIER , SANUSI HAS WON MY HEART AGAIN
“Our husband has gone mad again”! Sanusi of recent has been behaving as if he is infested with boko-haram diseases. All his comments on national issues are negative, infact upside down! Independent for is the sure solution to the corrupt tendencies by the almighty governors and to checkmate unhealthy, do or die and stay put tendencies by some selfish, weaked politicians.
IMPOSSIBLE AND HALF-BAKED SUGGESTION. RATHER SCRAPE THE 36 STATES AND IN ITS PLACE INSTITUTE AND RECOGNISE THE 6 GEO-POLITICAL ZONES AND THE 774 LGAS AS THE TWO TIERS OF GOVERNMENTS.
it is very sad to hear that our CBN gov can never give Nigerians positive thinking,how on earth can he vomit such words when the nation is at cross-road,having many choice to better development to our nation,power must be separated to archive resuits.
I don’t agree with Sanusi. With resource control, we will get to our destination without scrapping LGAs. The councils can be funded through IGR and taxes
I tow the line of the CBN governor. Local govt councils is wasteful and irrelanvant to a federal structure. 2 tiers are enough.
When we agree with a confused man, certainly, we will become more confused. CBN governor has become a major problem to the nation. As for his unreflected opinion on scraping LG as a third tier govenment, he does not know what LG stands for. It is germane for the CBN governor to understand that LG is more desirable than State Goverment because the seeming “failure” of LG in Nigeria has to do with the way State Governors have heartlessly handled LG affairs. It is a pity that the CBN governor has decided to celebrate his incapablity to fix the economy. To this end, he has no choice than to resign immediately.
Sanusi shouldn’t be affraid of Governors. Why join state Gov to cripple d councils. Govs are bent to cripple d council through joint Ac while Sanusi want them off constitutionally just supporting d govs.