The House of Representatives is constitutional amendment to create financial and administrative autonomy as well as uniformity of tenure of leadership of the 774 local government areas across the country.
Local government areas under the current Constitution lack financial and administrative autonomy and has non- uniform tenure through Joint Account Committee (JAC) with States Governments who also determine tenures of their elected Chairmen and Councillors.
To correct this anomaly, the House of Representatives on Thursday, passed for second reading: “A Bill for an Act to Further Alter the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for the Financial and Administrative Autonomy of Local Government Councils and Uniformity of Tenure across the country”.
The sponsor of the Bill, Mansur Soro (APC, Bauchi) moved for its second reading of and it was seconded by Rep. James Faleke (APC, Lagos).
Leading debate on general principles of the Bill, Soro stated that it seeks the administration and financial independence of the Local Government Councils to ensure development gets to the grassroots, empowers the people and eradicates the constraining reasons for rural to urban migration.
He noted that this is needed since the situation as it now makes the Local government councils are stifled and at the whims of State governments.
Soro decried the gross mismanagement of Local government funds which has caused extreme poverty in the Local government councils, the rise of insurgency and insecurity, as well as the high turnover of political office holders every four years, as the people express lack of faith in their representatives.
In his contribution, the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase stated that it is not all governors that mismanage local government funds and the Bill is aimed at helping Nigerians in the local government councils and develop the regions.
The Bill was voted on, passed for second reading and referred to the special Ad-Hoc Committee on Constitutional Review.
