Nigeria Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Situation Room and Citizens Centre for Integrated Development and Social Rights (CCIDESOR) have tasked President Bola Tinubu on political will to ensure autonomy of Local councils.
The CSOs, also called on Tinubu to work closely with the National Assembly to get the Supreme Court judgment on full local council autonomy implemented to facilitate grassroots development in the country.
The CSOs made this known on Friday in Enugu after a media parley on the theme: “Local Government Administrative, Political and Fiscal Autonomy in Nigeria: A Recipe for Economic Recovery”.
In a resolution read on their behalf by the Executive Director of CCIDESOR, Emeka Ononamadu, the CSOs demanded direct payment of local government allocations from the federation account to local governments.
Other demands include, constitutional amendments to remove ambiguities around the joint account system, strengthening local government accountability mechanisms, including transparency in budgeting, procurement, and citizen oversight, guaranteeing democratic elections for local governments across all states.
Ononamadu noted that the resources to make a turnaround in the council areas are available but currently being hijacked through joint council and state account as well as joint council/state projects.
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He said: “The legal framework is emerging; while the Supreme Court has spoken on it and President Tinubu has recently raised an alarm on deterioration at the council areas.
“What remains now is decisive political action, on the part of the president and National Assembly.
“History will remember whether this administration seized the opportunity to transform grassroots governance – or allowed the moment to pass in the name of political expediency”.
He noted that a fully independent and operational council system would lead to rural economic development; employment generation; grassroots democracy and improvement on basic services – primary healthcare, primary education, sanitation and water supply.
