Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose, disagrees that the Supreme Court judgment granting autonomy to the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria will trigger a positive change in governance and grassroots development.
On Thursday, July 11, 2024, the apex court ordered the Federal Government to henceforth pay allocations directly to the councils from the federation account.
This implies that state governors will no longer have access to allocations meant for local government development.
Interestingly, Nigerians’ reactions to the development indicated that the development was a welcome idea, but Fayose does not share this sentiment.
Speaking on Sunday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today on Sunday, July 14, 2024, maintained that the development would be counterproductive to the governance and administration of states by governors.
Here are three reasons the ex-governor believes LG autonomy won’t work.
1. There can’t be LG bosses without governors
Fayose believes the influence of state governors on the emergence of local government chairmen across the country will undermine the goal and purpose of local government autonomy.
He stressed that nobody from the grassroots can become a local government chairman without the support of a governor.
“I am not a lawyer. I am a politician and by God’s grace today, I am an elder statesman. While I love and do not believe that any government should take local government funds, may I say to you very clearly this evening that you cannot take the baby from the mother? There is nobody that can become council chairman without a governor. Anybody telling you otherwise is wasting his time,” he said.
Emphasising the relationship between governors and LG bosses, Fayose said the Federal Government “cannot take the baby from the mother.”
2. State lawmakers regulate LG activities
The ex-governor also explained that the oversight function of the State House of Assemblies over local government councils would hamper the independence of local councils.
Fayose said, “Any council chairman who says ‘Money is coming to me, I will disrespect my governor’ the House of Assembly will tell you to go and disobey him inside your house. This is because you can never even be a council chairman without the governor standing up for you. The House of Assembly regulates your activities.
3. Autonomy will encourage malfeasance in LGAs
Another reason the Ekiti politician disapproved of the LG autonomy is the perceived tendency of local government officials to skip work. He believes autonomy will worsen their already poor attitude to work.
Fayose submitted that states should continue to run the affairs of LGAs because they are more effective in administrative performance than the local governments.
He said, “Go to the council meeting on Wednesday or Friday, you will not find 10% of the staff of the local government in the office. They don’t come. My name is Ayo Fayose and I want them to dispute this. They don’t come to work. When you make moves to bring them to book, both NULGE and all leaders of the local government will go and beg the governor.
“They will be telling you, we will not vote for you. This is the way we operate at the local government. The state is more effective in administrative performance than the local government. At the local government, everybody comes to collect money. Even people have left some states. They live somewhere else and money just hit their accounts.”
[Pulse]