Politics
ALGON And Four-Year Tenure Push
Of the three tiers of government operational in Nigeria, the local government administration is the one established to cater for the most basic needs and obligations owed to the people by the overall administration of the country.
Take away the local government set up and there are several millions of Nigerians who would never know nor feel the impact of government. Indeed, several millions would never realise the full extent of citizenship and the duties and benefits therein but for the existence of the local government system.
For a vast number of Nigerians, the highest and, sometimes, the only government official or operative within their vicinity is the councillor while their only hope of receiving any form of government assistance or support lies with the local government administration.
The importance of this level of government, therefore, cannot be over-emphasised while its seeming relegation in the scheme of things in the country will continue to be the subject of spirited discourse by discerning and well-meaning citizens.
Perhaps, it is in the light of this that the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), the umbrella body of the leadership of the 774 local government councils in Nigeria, is pressing for a more effective, better organised, more result-oriented and independent system that can deliver on its mandate without let or hindrance.
Speaking to newsmen at the sidelines of the association’s National Executive Council meeting in Kano earlier this month, a former Deputy National President, Mr Constantine Ikiako bared the mind of the group on a number of issues, one of which was a four-year tenure for chairmen of the local councils in the country.
Mr Ikiako who is also the Delta State ALGON Chairman decried the prevailing disorganised system where there is no uniform tenure of office for the councils’ heads across the country and made a strong case for a better state of affairs that will foster stability and greater leverage for service delivery.
“We think that the national and state assemblies need to ensure that there is harmonious tenure for local governments. For instance, some spend six months, some two years, while some three years.
“So, we have to make it, at least, three to four years. These are the issues we’re discussing and ensure we synchonise them”, he said.
According to Mr Ikiako, the council chairmen were no longer satisfied with being instruments of political patronage instead of being true agents of development that should be allowed to interface even with international development partners and thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for his interventions so far.
“We want our offices to be turned into areas where ideas are discussed properly. All we hear are the contracts that were awarded before we came in, and the president has said it must stop.
“Unfortunately, it was witnessed with a stiff resistance, but we vowed it must stop so that we can focus on re-engineering in partnership with development agencies to grow the local governments. Our prayer is that subsequent governments will realise that local government need to survive for Nigeria to be better”, he emphasised.
While many Nigerians agree that the local government system needs more freedom from the seemingly overbearing influence of the state governments in order to perform optimally, critical observers of the system also point out that functionaries of the system have not done enough to justify the opportunities given them so far.
Exchanging views with The Tide in Port Harcourt, a public affairs analyst and community leader, Chief Loveday Okere, said that ALGON was not being fair to the people in asking for a four-year tenure in office as they had generally not done enough to stay for more than two years in office.
“As far as I’m concerned, there’s no merit in what they’re asking for . That will be asking for too much from the people they’ redisappointed for a long time”, he argued, adding that “This is because for a local government chairman who is not performing to stay in office for three years amounts to suffering the people at the grassroots. If you ask me, I will say that it should be reduced to two years so that the people’s suffering will reduce”.
According to Chief Okere, a two-year tenure with guaranteed periodic election as, and when due, would empower the people to either re-new the mandate of a performing chairman or reject a non-performing one through the ballot box.
“Anybody who wants to perform, one year is even enough for you to perform”, he said, arguing that anyone that is determined to make a desirable difference in the circumstances of the people would be adequately prepared for the task and therefore would not need much time to make desired impact.
He said even though the issue of autonomy for the local government was still one to be resolved, the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari to remit allocations directly to the local councils has left the chairmen with the sole responsibility of managing their resources.
“Except they still have any complaints about some form of diversion of funds, they should be able to manage the funds that come to them as people who are there to serve the people”, he said, emphasizing that corruption, selfishness and greed on the part of the elected officials at the third tier of government had been the bane of development at the grassroots.
“The problem I know is that anyone of them that is elected into office, the most important thing in the mind of that person is to selfishly develop himself by carting away resources that are meant for development or diverting them to other sources, that is very selfish”. he said, adding that “Therefore I don’t see much challenge why any of them will say this is why I cannot develop my locality”.
Chief Okere said he would not subscribe to the call for the conduct of local government elections to be given to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) because he believes that power and responsibilities needed to be discentralised.
He said while he appreciated the fact state and federal constituencies’ election had become more competitive over the years, with a little more effort, elections at the local council level could improve as well.
“For now, it is for us to continue to put pressure on the governors who insist on winning every seat at the local government areas to give democracy a chance to thrive at the local level”, he said.
There is no doubt that there is yet so much to be done to get the local government councils in Nigeria to optimally deliver on their mandate. However there is much more to be done by the political leadership at the grassroots to give the people a sense that their interest ranks above anything also, irrespective of how long or short the leaders stay in office.
By: Opaka Dokubo
Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has revealed that the reforms initiated and implemented by his administration led to the saving of the sum of N2.3 billion for the local government councils.
The governor disclosed this recently at the opening ceremony of an orientation programme organised for newly-elected local government council chairmen, vice chairmen, councilors and principal officers at Perdis Hotel, Akenfa.
Gov Diri stated that on assumption of office in 2020, some local government councils were highly indebted and unable to pay salaries but his administration took measures that resulted in regular payment of salaries, execution of projects and saving of funds.
The Bayelsa State Chief Executive restated his call on the Federal Government to create additional local councils in the state, saying it was injustice for some states to have more than 40 councils and receiving monthly allocation from the Federation Accounts Allocation Commission (FAAC), while the state had only eight.
He charged the newly elected local government officials to make good use of the two-day workshop to equip themselves with the requisite knowledge to carry out their responsibilities.
The governor also called on them to work as a team to ensure that development was felt at the grassroots.
“Local governments as at 2020 were unable to pay salaries, particularly Nembe, Ogbia, Ekeremor and Sagbama. There was some form of dissatisfaction in the system.
“After I went through the recommendations of the Deputy Governor, whom I entrusted with investigating the local government, I wasted no time in approving the recommendations.
“The recommendations included the ban on loans from any source by local government chairmen without approval of the governor; compulsory savings by every council; and the division of balance after payment of salaries into 60 and 40 per cent respectively. One part was for compulsory savings and the other to project implementation and immediate commencement of computerisation of their payroll as well as compulsory quarterly award of projects by each council chairman.
“We found a lot of fraud in the local government system. But as it stands today, our councils have N2.3billion as a result of the combination of the factors of reforms and proper supervision of that tier of government.
“The breakdown is N400million compulsory savings while N1.9 billion for capital projects. This is aside from the one done by caretaker committees in terms of project execution within the short period they stayed”, the governor said.
Gov Diri assured of his administration’s commitment to support the councils to achieve their goals and expressed confidence that the new officials would meet the expectations of the people.
“We firmly believe that good governance begins at the grassroots level. That is precisely why we have gathered here to equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge to improve our local government administration and enhance service delivery.
Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
The Eze Oruamara/Regent of Okwuzi Kingdom in Ogba/ Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the State, Eze Victor Afaka, has sued for peace among the political class in the State.
Eze Afaka made the appeal while speaking with The Tide on the sidelines of the governorship victory thanksgiving service by the Ogba Egbema /Ndoni Chapter of the Simplified Movement in Omoku.
He said Governor Fubara should be allowed to display the vision that God has given to him to govern the state.
According to him, since every administration has its term and tenure, the man presently at the helm of affairs in Rivers State must be given the opportunity to complete his own term and tenure.
“I advise politicians to sheathe their sword and allow peace to reign. Politics and governance have their terms and tenure. When it is your tenure, you have your vision to display; when you conclude that vision God has given you as a leader of your community or of a state, you step aside and leave the next person to display the vision God has given to him” he said.
The traditional ruler said he and his people, including the youth, women and the Ogbakor Egbema, decided to attend the service because of the excellent vision of Governor Fubara
“We are happy, Okwuzi people are in full support of the government, the government of His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara”, he added.
He said that the governor’s peaceful disposition to governance has endeared him to His Kingdom, noting that Okwuzi kingdom was already a beneficiary of the present administration’s purposeful governance as the Omoku/Okwuzi road abandoned 10 years ago, was nearing completion.
“ONELGA, Okwuzi are benefitting from his government.The road that was abandoned for ten years is being completed right now and we know that there are so many other things he will do for us”, he said.
While urging the state government to give desired attention to the Okwuzi General Hospital that is in a state of dilapidation, Eze Afaka entreated Governor Fubara not to be distracted, but to continue to promote peace and development across the State.
John Bibor
A group of North Central stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC) has stormed the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, demanding the resignation of the National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja yesterday, the protesters said their demand followed his recent suspension by a faction of his ward executives and the alleged bribery allegation levelled against him by the Kano State government.
While they chanted solidarity songs and displayed several banners some of which read, “Ganduje must resign” and “Return the APC chairmanship to North Central,” the protesters appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, to consider returning the leadership of the party to the North Central.
Only on Tuesday, the Forum of APC State Chairmen had passed a vote of confidence on Ganduje, affirming their unalloyed support to him.
The protesters under the aegis of Concerned North Central APC Stakeholders lamented that the continued stay of Ganduje in office was a clear violation of the zoning principle in the party.
Mohammed Saba, who led the protesters, said unlike the 37 APC state chairmen, his people in the North Central have passed a vote of no confidence on the national chairman and equally demanded his immediate resignation.
Saba reiterated that the people of North Central felt betrayed when the position of APC national chairman was hijacked from them following the exit of Senator Abdullahi Adamu despite giving Tinubu the third highest votes after North West and South West at the 2023 presidential election.
He said, “We, the North Central APC Concerned Stakeholders, have resolved to unanimously agitate for our right and reclaim our mandate which was handed unto us by the National Convention of our great Party in 2022.
“Various sections of our constitution have established the procedure of replacing an executive member at all levels of the party in the event of death, resignation, incapacitation or expulsion from the party by any executive member.
“It is a fact that the emergence of Dr. Umar Ganduje as national chairman was done against the spirit and soul of the APC which is the constitution of our great party. This singular act has impacted negatively on us as a people in the North Central.
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