Rivers State Commissioner for Commerce and Industry, Hon. Chuma C. Chinye (right) in handshake with Administrative Director, MCC, Mr Nelson Jaja (left) at the public presentation of the Yellow Pages Directory organised by Ministry of Commerce and Industry in Portr Harcourt. Photo: Egberi .A. Sampson

The Rivers State House of Assembly has rejected local government autonomy even as the National Union Local Government Employees (NULGE) protested and called for Local government autonomy.
The State Assembly yesterday voted on the alteration to the provision of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as it also rejected independent candidate in seeking for any elective office in the country.
The House which was presided by the Speaker, Rt. Hon Otelemaba Dan-Amachree also accorded and approved financial autonomy for state House of Assembly and judiciary across the country. It also approved pension for officers working in the state assembly.
It also voted in favour of section 45A, “Every citizen of the federal Republic of Nigeria is entitled to free education and right to health.”
Meanwhile, as the House was deliberating on the alteration of the constitution, NULGE, Rivers State chapter, carried out a peaceful protest to the state Assembly, appealing to the legislature to approve Local Government Council autonomy.
The State Deputy President of NULGE, Comrade Madighi Dickson who led the 23 local government councils to the temporary site of the assembly, said they came to request that the local government autonomy bill should be passed according to the wishes of the people.
According to him, “we came because we know that throughout the country, the States Assembly would make an alteration on the constitution today, (Tuesday) and they are requesting that autonomy should be granted to the local governments.
“We represent the 23 local government areas of Rivers State and we are here on a peaceful request, it’s not a demonstration or protest, we are aware that all over the states of Nigeria, they are passing the local government autonomy law today, we are here to request because we voted you to power, so we are requesting that the law be passed according to the wishes of Rivers people’’, he said.
Addressing the protesters, the Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assemble, Hon Leyii Kwanee said there was nothing wrong with what they were doing.
Kwanee said the legislature was in the middle of passing the fourth alteration of the bill and amendment of various sections of the constitution.
He reminded them that lawmakers were in the assembly on the mandate of the people and would be accountable to the people, assuring that he will convey their message to the house.
According to him, “I want to be part of the history making occasion. To be a party to those who amended the 1999 constitution’. For some of us who may not be returning to the house, we want to make the ultimate use of it. I assure that I will convey your positions to the house’’.
While deliberating on the matter in the House, Leader of the State house of Assembly, Hon. Chidi Lloyd had argued that local government autonomy will lead to instability of governance at the grassroots.
The House had voted against independence of local council based on an argument put forward by Hon. Lloyd that there will be arbitrary impeachments of council Chairmen by councilors, thereby leading to unstable governance.
According to Hon. Lloyd the framers of the Nigerian Constitution gave the State Assemblies power to monitor activities of local councils, and that such powers should be maintained to ensure stability.
Also, workers under the aegis of National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Ondo State yesterday walked out of the Ondo State House of Assembly following failure of the Members of the House of Assembly to pass the autonomy for Local Government.
The autonomy of the council workers is in clause 4th Alteration Bill to amend the 1999 Constitution. A protest was thereafter staged at the premises of the assembly complex. The workers sang solidarity songs and demanding that they be given autonomy. They also threatened to vote against the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the next election coming up in February 2015.
The Chairman of the ad hoc Committee on the Review of the Constitution, Hon. Afolabi Akinsiku, laid his report on the table and members did not debated or commented on it.
The Speaker Hon. Jumoke Akindele speaking on the matter said, “As a coronary to the motion that I should use my good offices to adopt the resolution of the members at the parliamentary session, we hereby adopt the decisions reached at the parliamentary meeting.”
After the speaker submission the House simply moved on to another business of the day but this irked the Local government workers who walked out. Efforts to speak with the Speaker after the plenary proved abortive as she was said to be attending another meeting.
But reacting to the development, the President of the Ondo Chapter of NULGE, Dr. Eni Ayewu, said there was no reason for the rejection of the autonomy clause by the house.
Ayewu said “Out of the 17 papers presented at the public hearing, only three were against autonomy for local governments, the others supported. So what is the basis for reaching that decision. This is not fair. They did not take the opinion of the people of the state into account. We shall meet in February.”