Institute urges 9 state assemblies to pass LG autonomy bills

The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) has urged Houses of Assembly that are yet to act on the constitutional amendment bills to do so without further delay. It also appealed to them to vote in favour of the bills seeking financial and administrative autonomy for local governments. NILDS Director General, Prof Abubakar […]

The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) has urged Houses of Assembly that are yet to act on the constitutional amendment bills to do so without further delay.

It also appealed to them to vote in favour of the bills seeking financial and administrative autonomy for local governments.

NILDS Director General, Prof Abubakar Suleiman, made the call in Abuja at a capacity building workshop for clerks, deputy clerks and directors (legal) of Houses of Assembly.

He said the local government autonomy bills stood at the very core of Nigeria’s democracy, noting that Nigerians had a solemn patriotic duty to ensure their passage.

He said, “We are all aware of the pressure from some governors to scuttle this significant reform.

“Still, I challenge us to rise above individualistic short-term interests and focus instead on our children’s future and those after them.”

He said 15 states had considered and approved the bill, listing the states as Abia, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Cross-River, Delta, Edo, Enugu, Kano, Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun and Osun.

He also listed 10 states that rejected the bill: Benue, Borno, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Imo, Kaduna, Lagos, Ondo, Rivers and Yobe, while two states, Adamawa and Bayelsa, abstained.

He said nine states: Gombe, Jigawa, Kebbi, Kwara, Oyo, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara were yet to transmit the bill.

“We must do everything to stop history from repeating itself all over. Recall when Houses of Assembly voted against their own financial autonomy at the behest of their governors.

“Today, many of those lawmakers are living with the guilt of that poor choice. It is my contention that state assemblies are yet to recover from that initial setback.”