Centre Urges NASS To Pass LG Autonomy Bill

Following the need for a minimum of 24 states’ Assemblies to vote in favour of Local Government Autonomy Bill currently before the National Assembly, the Centre For Leadership Strategy (LSD) has  engaged Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and the media in the North West to push for the passage of the bill at state levels.
The LSD, in partnership with Christian Aid Nigeria, with funding from UKAID under her Voice to the People (V2P) project, held a one-day CSO/Media roundtable in Kaduna to galvanise CSOs and the media in the North West geo-political zone to sustain the momentum around the issue of local government autonomy.
The Centre is also pushing for the passage of the bill at the sub-national stages leveraging on the current constitution review process.
In a remark, Programme Director of the Centre, Monday Osasah, noted that a financially-autonomous local government system that recognises the place of citizens’ participation in decision-making, would ensure not just the virility of local governments to deliver services at the grassroot level, but also bring about widespread development to communities across the country.
He commended the Nigerian Senate for passing the bill on local government financial autonomy amongst others in the ongoing constitution review process.
He therefore enjoined civil society organisations, the media, social media influencers as well as all well-meaning Nigerian citizens to sustain the push at the sub-national levels  to ensure the bill(s) scale through. He nevertheless cautioned that relevant provisions of the bills should not be tampered with during the review stages by legislators at the state level in the interest of the federalist principles Nigeria had opted for.
“And for ensuring that the local government which is the arm of government that is closest to the people, performs her statutory function of being the engine of community and rural development”, he said.
Also speaking, Programme Officer, Governance, Christian Aid Nigeria which is currently working on Voice to the People (V2P), Terfa Hemea, reminded the participants on the need to work together to ensure that the push should work this time around in the interest of grassroots development.
The bill had been before NASS long before now but yet to see the light of the day.
Hence, the need for critical stakeholders to come together and let the states governors and lawmakers see how the autonomy would be beneficial to them and their people.