The Ondo state chapter of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), has threatened to vote against the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and other political parties in the state House of Assembly if they fail to support autonomy for the Local Government Bill.
The state President of NULGE, Comrade Bola Taiwo, who stated this in Akure, said the Union is demanding the approval of local government autonomy by the Ondo State Houses of Assembly.
While saying that some state governors stopped their assembly members from passing into law the local government autonomy passed by the National Assembly, he urged Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu to work with the state House of Assembly in ensuring that the state joined other states that had passed the autonomy bill into law.
Comrade Taiwo, who described as unacceptable the actions of the Ekiti and Lagos States’ Houses of Assembly that rejected the autonomy bill, stated that failure by the Ondo State House of Assembly to pass the bill into law means its workers across the 18 local governments in the state would not vote candidates of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the forthcoming elections.
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Comrade Bola said the local government workers had always been supporting Governor Akeredolu and his party, hence the need for the state Assembly to return the gesture by approving the autonomy bill without further delay.
“We have done our voters registration and equally collected our PVCs in anticipation of this. Any state or party that votes against Local Government Autonomy, we would also vote against them in future elections. You rub my back, I rub your back will be the title of the game.
“It should be noted that a well developed Local Government system, being a grass-root driven and based government which is the first line of contact between the Nigerian State and the people, needs to be democratically equipped to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.
“For these reasons, it needs to be strengthened in this season of insecurity, unemployment, pressure on social amenities as a result of overpopulation and lack of adequate maintenance culture.
“The Sunshine Assembly and the Union have been partners in progress, and NULGE as a leading Union in Ondo State, has maximally supported this administration, hence, our plea that the Bill be passed in furtherance of making teacher’s salary a first line charge as provided by the National Assembly.”
He further thanked states that have passed the local government autonomy bill into law, noting that the Local Government in Nigeria is a single-tier government responsible for providing basic services to the people.
He said local governments exist to provide peculiar services to rural communities and also, “local government is the major source by which communities satisfy their common needs and problems.”
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