Good Governance Ministry -GGM has noted the misleading information being ditched out to the members of the Public by politicians who are vying for positions in the public offices .
Many of them are in support of local government autonomy and are promising the masses that they will support the bill for local government autonomy. Note that the Governors rejected the bill in the ongoing constitution amendment.
GGM wishes to make the following clarifications;
i.That the creation of 774 local governments in Nigeria is for administrative convenience of the Military with command and control structures.
ii. That local government system as created by the Military is done for the purpose of sharing and consuming ” manna’ from the central government – Abuja with no incentive for productive.
iii. That the creation of local government areas in Nigeria was skewed in favour of northern Nigeria where a State like Kano has 44 local Governments while Lagos is around 24.
GGM noted that the recognition of local government as the third tier of Government in Nigeria was not ideal.It is wrong for Local Government to derive her power and functions directly from the federal Constitution. Nigeria is practicing federal system of Government,therefore ,local governments are creations of the State and should not enjoy power in the same measure that constitution grants to the federating units- States. In Federal System of Government,there are two levels of Government Viz Federal and State. It is the State or Region Constitution that should determine the functions of Local Government and such functions must meet the expectations of the local people.
It has become necessary to make this clarification in the face of the present confusion in the public space.
Ndubuisi Anaenugwu, Ambassador, Good Governance Ministry