Nation
Osinbajo Tasks State Assemblies On Speedy LG Autonomy Bill Ratification
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called on State Houses of Assembly to speedily ratify the bill seeking total autonomy and devolution of powers to the Local Government Areas in the country.
He made the call last Friday, while delivering the “Distinguished Annual Lecture” of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS), Kuru, near Jos.
The Tide’s source reports that the lecture was titled “Subnational Local Governance in Africa: Rethinking Policies, Frameworks and Institutions”.
Osinbajo, who was represented by Dr Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment, said local authorities play key roles towards nation building, but lamented that the third tier of government had over time been neglected and undervalued.
He said the ongoing constitutional amendment seeking to allocate more powers to the local governments is a step in the right direction.
“While the roles of state governments and their scope of authority appear very well appreciated, local governments remain, in my view, quite undervalued, needing more attention from all of us, better funding, organisational and high quality leadership.
“As we speak, a bill for local government autonomy is striving hard to pass the threshold of 24 votes required from state Houses of Assembly, a key milestone towards its passage.
“I believe that efforts being made, through the ongoing constitutional amendment, to cede more responsibilities for control and management of resources to local governments across the country reflect our understanding of how crucial it has become for this tier of government to take full charge of their responsibilities and functions at optimal capacity.
“After all, it is often argued that local government is closest to the people and best placed to impact on their lives,” he said.
The Vice President argued that local government fiscal autonomy would promote peace and security in country, adding that people at rural communities understand their terrain better and know how to deploy resources towards tackling security challenges.
He insisted that the yearning for local government autonomy is a step in the right direction and called on state assemblies to expedite actions toward ratifying the autonomy bill.
He added that the advantages that come with local government autonomy are obviously enormous, adding that it would further consolidate on Nigeria’s democratic system.
“Ratifying the bill that grants local governments fiscal autonomy in Nigeria is indeed a step in the right direction, and we encourage the yet-to-be decided voters from state assemblies to be considerate in this regard and speedily pass it.
“The issue of security for example which has posed significant challenge in the last decades cannot be effectively and consistently tackled with centralised security structure and resources.
“It is clear that Nigeria is too vast to be policed from the centre and the people at the grassroots know the intricacies of their communities better, they know the geography intimately, they understand the ebbs and flows of people and information in a greater deal.
“It is my firm belief that we must strengthen our sub-national administrative units via further devolution of powers and resources for effective performance,” he said.
The Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado-Bayero, who chaired the occasion, said that there is a strong nexus between effective local governance and sustainable development, hence Nigeria should not be left behind in this paradigm shift.
He maintained that an effective local authority would address poverty, hunger, inequality, insecurity, illiteracy, among other challenges currently facing the nation.
Earlier, Prof Ayo Omotayo, the Director General of NIPPS, said the distinguished annual lecture was part of activities for the graduation ceremony of the institute’s Senior Executive Course (SEC) 44.
The Alliance Française Port Harcourt in conjunction with the Embassy of France Nigeria over the weekend joined the globe to campaign against the 2025 gender- based violence (GBV) with the theme: “16 Days of Activism Against Gender- Based Voice”
The event which took place at the event Hall of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt was in collaboration with the Female in Gaming Network, ( FIGN) and partnership with Nexal a body that seeks to promote online safety and responsible digital behaviour.
The Tide reports that the project which was aimed at promoting digital safety and girls inclusion in Gaming, with the initiative tagged ‘Gameover Gender- Base Violence’was part of the global campaign against gender- based Violence.
The activity which experienced a flavour of festivity was full of fun and excitements as participants took part in tournaments on popular digital games such as Mario kart and EAFC 25, with an intent to creating safer and more inclusive digital spaces.
The Director of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs Marina Lacal said that these activities were designed to encourage inclusion of girls, team work and fair play on online gaming spaces, saying that the gaming world reflects these inequalities, where female players are often under represented.
According to her the main objectives of the initiative was to provide a supportive environment for girls and female in gaming network.
“GameOverGBV” is a project created to reshape this landscape by offering an innovative inclusiveness of girls on online digital Gaming community and digital environments that provide opportunities for creativity, learning and connection, but also fight against Gender-Based Violence Digital Gaming,”she said
She however, explained that the Digital Game, sport competitions, was launched to strengthen social and digital skills through games, workshops, and raise awareness among all young participants about respect, equality and digital citizenship.
The Tide News reports that in Port Harcourt, the competition brought together 100 young participants from three major universities: University of Port Harcourt, ( UNIPORT),Ignatius Ajuru University of Education(IAUE) and Rivers State University (RSU)as well as students from four selected secondary schools, Oginigba comprehensive Secondary.School, Vine lnternational, Virgo predicanda lnternational, and Excellent Montessori Secondary school.
“This is an approach where girls and boys can learn, play and collaborate in a more respectful and safe space for young women, while ensuring a safe, enjoyable and respectful digital environment. It also expose young women to cyberbullying, exclusion, sexist comments and online hate,” Mrs. Lacal said.
Earlier, a game developer Sophia Nei and her. team had engaged participants in an interactive session with the theme: “Can Video Games Be Safe Spaces For Girls?”
However, Mrs Nei and her team educated the girls on the benefits and violence on online digital gaming and urged them ( participants)to learn to say ‘No’ to Online hate, sexist and cyber bullying, while encouraging them(students) to stand up for themselves by reporting such issues to the appropriate authority.
Highlight of the competition was the awarding of prizes to winners by the Director of Alliance Française, Mrs Marina Lacal.
