From: Ali Abare, Gombe
The National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) said the widespread agitations across the country could only be addressed when local governments are granted full autonomy.
National President of NULGE, Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel, stated this in a chat with journalists in Gombe.
Comrade Khaleel led members of the union on a rally round the Gombe State capital before addressing members of the state House of assembly in continuation of the national rally for the autonomy of local governments.
In a chat with journalists shortly after the rally, the NULGE national president said giving the councils autonomy would address widespread agitations because such would address excpusitivity in governance at the grass root.
He attributed the rise in political agitation in the country to exclusivity in governance, with particularly Nigerians at the grass root sidelined in preference to those in the urban areas.
Comrade Khaleel also denounced the situation whereby governors impose their stooges either as management committee chairmen or impose their cronies as elected chairmen thereby denying true representation at the grass root.
He linked the issue of security to the leadership crisis at the council level as, according to him, security agencies were helpless without the support of the people at the grass root who are in better position to protect their community if they have true sense of belonging.
“The governors came to power through election but they won’t allow elections take place at the council level,” he said.
On the expected resistance the union may encounter, especially from state governors who may kick against the idea of autonomy for local government areas, Comrade Khaleel said he hope the governors are already seeing the hand writing on the wall since there is a widespread clamour for council autonomy.
He however expressed hopes that the governors would finally see the need to grant the councils autonomy.
“Already, 80 per cent of the governors have thrown their support behind our campaign for local government autonomy.
The NULGE president called for the discontinuation of the state and local government joint accounts.
Earlier at the state assembly, Comrade Khaleel addressed the lawmakers led by the speaker, Alhaji Nasiru Abubakar Nono, represented by the Majority Leader.