NULGE Order Stakeholders Meeting On Constitutional Amendment

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has directed its affiliates and branches in the 774 Local Governments Areas to organise stakeholders’ meeting on the ongoing constitutional review.

The National President of the Union,  Mr Ibrahim Khalee, gave the directives at a briefing in Abuja on Thursday.

He said the affiliates and branches should mobilise and consult and come up with a position that would ensure the operation of a viable local government system in the country.

Khalee said the meeting would enable the grassroots to participate in the forthcoming zonal public hearing on the constitutional review taking place between November 15 and November 16.

He said the union was leading the group agitating for changes in the local government structure, adding “we want to sensitise all to participate in the public hearing at the zonal level. “The National Assembly has resolved to pursue the on-going process of the constitutional amendment from the grassroots.

“They have directed all the 360 members of the House of Representatives to go back to their constituencies and organise public hearing on the issue.’’ Khalee said there was need to review the local government system because the concept of bringing governance closer to the people had not materialised

He condemned the appointment of caretaker committees to run local governments, adding that it was unconstitutional.

The NULGE president said the present structure of local government did not guarantee service delivery, security and poverty eradication and called for a way to return sanity to the system.

He commended the constitutional review committee of the National Assembly for its decision to save the local governments from the grip of state governors.