…As varsity don says LG autonomy will create wealth, curb rural-urban drift
The Caretaker Committee Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Rivers State, Tony Okocha, has said that his presumed attacks on Governor Sim Fubara did not amount to hatred.
He said that he should rather be seen as the governor’s best well-wisher for always telling him the truth.
This is as a university professor has said that autonomy for local councils would create a base for economic boom, wealth and job creation.
Okocha said at an award ceremony for secondary school quiz 2024 that those hailing the governor when he goofed were his real haters.
He also said that being the leader of the opposition party and always talking to warn the governor against making mistakes did not make him an enemy of the governor.
The APC chieftain made the assertion while speaking at a quiz and essay competition he organised for secondary schools and students of tertiary institutions in the state.
He explained that he desired the best for Rivers State, reason he would not keep calm while things go wrong in the state.
“People call us troublemakers because we are talking. If something is not good, it’s not good.
“People misconstrue us to be enemies of the state government. Some say we hate the governor. I do not hate the governor. We are his best friends. The man who tells you when you are wrong that, Sir, why don’t you do it this way instead of this way. It is up to you as a leader to see what the implication of this would be. You now juxtapose the suggestion with what you are trying to do and see which is better, and correct yourself early. That person is your friend.
“But the person whose business is when he sees you, even when you are wrong, he hails you and does not have the courage to tell you let’s see how we can change it. Because he wants his pocket, he agrees with you and tells you it’s good, but at the end of the day, it leads you to a bottomless pit. So, who is your friend?”
Speaking on the competition, Okocha who is also the Rivers State representative on the Governing Board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), said education remained the best tool to fight criminality in the society.
He also disclosed that as part of his educational support, he had previously bought 2000 JAMB forms for indigent students in the state and that some of those who gained admission may be given support in form of scholarships.
On the quiz project, he assured that the competition would be expanded and improved upon in subsequent editions.
He urged governments to focus more on education, saying it makes the difference between two children.
“No child wants to be an armed robber. It’s later in life that some drift to evil ways because of dearth of opportunities,” he said.
He also said that he got the idea of the project from an innovative young man and now thousands of personalities and scholars have gathered to witness the outcome.
Earlier in his keynote address at the quiz competition held in Rumuigbo community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area of the state, Edward Adiele, a professor, said that granting local government autonomy was key to solving rural-urban drift in Nigeria by creating good governance at the grassroots.
He also said that local government autonomy, if well harnessed, could lead to economic development in the country, as he attributed most of the political crisis in the various states across Nigeria to struggle for local government control.
Adiele, a professor of Educational Planning at the Ignatius Ajuru University of Education (IAUE), Rumuolumeni, Rivers State, described local governments as veritable agents of development and grassroots participation in the democratic process.
Speaking on the topic ‘Local Government Autonomy: The Bedrock for Rural Communities Development,’ Adiele said: “Each tier of government must exist not as an appendage of another, but as being able to exercise its own will in the conduct of its own affairs, free from the directive of another level of government.”
He also said that the local government autonomy would only be meaningful in a situation where no level of government is constitutionally bound to accept dictates or directives from the other level of government.
“Local governments in Nigeria must be granted full autonomy by making them have legal powers to achieve specific goals, most importantly, they must enjoy substantial autonomy in financial matters without excessive but complementary control by higher authority.
“This is so because fiscal autonomy in local government administration is generally believed to be the best tool efficient service delivery in rural communities’ development,” he added.
The winning schools in the quiz were Blessed Children Academy, Praise El Premier School, and Emilio Piazza Memorial College.
In the 350-word essay contest, Praise Okorie won with 98 percent followed by Nwosu Destiny Chukwuka with 95percent and Nwator Desmond Chukwuka with 90 percent. There were indications that some of the winners may bag scholarships.
