LG Autonomy: S’Court ruling relief for us –NGF

…APC chieftain, Olaosebikan hails Tinubu

BY OKEY OSIEGBU & STEPHEN GBADAMOSI

Contrary to insinuations in several quarters that the ruling of the Supreme Court which granted financial autonomy to LGA chairmen in the 774 local councils will anger the 36 state governors, the chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF has called it a great relief for the governors.

The chairman of the forum who is also the governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq said this at the State House Abuja on Friday in the company of his Bauchi and Imo State counterparts, Bala Mohammed and Hope Uzodimma respectively.

According to him, “We welcome the ruling of the Supreme Court. Compliance is a given and our attorney generals have applied for the enrollment order which we’ll study carefully. But by and large, governors are happy with the devolution of power with respect to local government autonomy.

“It relieves the burden on governors. Our people really don’t know how much states expend in bailing out local governments, and that’s the issue there.”

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Governor Abdul Razak said the Nigeria Governors’ Forum will meet next Wednesday to come up with a resolution about the matter. He said contrary to speculations, governors have “never tampered with local government funds”.

“It’s not going to affect the states,” the NGF chief said, and believes that with the autonomy granted to local governments, the third tier of government can better manage their affairs.

“As you’re aware the tripartite committee has met and submitted its report. Yes, a movement of figures is the prerogative of the president which he will also transmit to the National Assembly for robust debate before it’s adopted,” the governor said.

That judgement has since triggered an outpour of commendations from stakeholders including President Tinubu, governors, political leaders, and lawmakers among others.

Meanwhile a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former chairman of Oluyole Local Government Area of Oyo State, Alhaji Kehinde Olaoseebikan, has said that with the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy, President Bola Tinubu will lead Nigeria to greatness.

Olaosebikan, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Midas Communications Limited, made this assertion on the heels of the judgement which gave local government financial autonomy.

“It is just one of the great things that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would do for the country. He has already made history with this laudable epochal judgment. He will do much more.

“He is capable, strategic and with a strong political will. These are the qualities that the president is deploying in governance, and it is becoming clear that Nigerians are in for a better time.

“When I spoke recently that Nigerians would yearn for the president to continue in office in 2027, many people criticised me for being too optimistic about the Tinubu government.

“A notable person in the society described my submission to the government then as ‘morally repulsive.’ I didn’t fight him, as I just told him that it was my own position, not his.

“The same man called me last night and simply said ‘the president means business;’ and I said, yes. I told him that it was time for all of us to give him our support, believe in his leadership and be more patriotic. He agreed,” he said.

The public relations expert also appealed too the labour unions to rest assured that President Tinubu would give them an acceptable minimum wage.

“Before I dwell on the significance of the Supreme Court’s judgment that has emancipated the grassroots from the enemies of progress, I want to make another postulation that the president would satisfy the labour and Nigerians on the minimum wage issue.

“The president’s final decision would be a pleasant surprise to all. He cares and is determined to write his name in gold.

In governance as it applies to all forms of administration and control, leadership is very key. “Leadership determines the height to which a government or an organisation could attain and also the depth it could sink into. That is why it is absolutely important to have strong, capable and competent persons in leadership.

“In the case of Nigeria today, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has gone beyond the display of the three Cs of Competence, Capacity and Care recommended for successful governance and leadership by a former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwezili, at the first National Summit, launching the All Progressives Congress on 15th March, 2014 at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton Hotel. “Tinubu has added strategic governance and political will to the three Cs for outstanding leadership. Ezekwezili spoke as the Keynote Speaker at the summit.

“The battle for the autonomy of the 774 local government councils from the greed of the governors began in 2000 or thereabout, with the successive leaders pursuing a mono line of the National Assembly to accomplish the liberation. “From the era of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to Umaru Yar’Adua to Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari, spanning over 20 years, none was able to actualise the much-desired autonomy for the local governments.

“With a precise appointment of one of the best, progressive-minded giants in the legal profession in the country, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, as the Attorney-General and Justice Minister of the Federation, Tinubu achieved what four former presidents could not achieve for over 20 years in less than 45 days.

“The suit craving autonomy for the local governments was filed on the 27th May, 2024 and judgment delivered on the 11th July.

“With an effective strategy and will power, President Tinubu, through his attorney-general, took a new route of the court and got the local governments liberated swiftly. This is a great accomplishment that should be commended by all.

“As a former local government chairman and a deep-rooted grassroots politician, I want to say that the liberation would go a long way in solving both the festering problems of insecurity and hunger in the country. All we require now is to have capable, creative, bold and strategic people manning the local governments.

“With capable local government chairmen and councillors, not just lackeys of the governors, both the allocated and internally generated resources of each local government area would be used for the peculiar needs of each local government.

“Invariably, the Supreme Court judgment has given power back to the people. Nigerians would be more interested in the elections into local government councils and the subsequent activities of the elected chairmen and councillors.

“With serious interest and commitment by the people at the grassroots, governors would find it difficult to manipulate local government elections even through their appointed state electoral commissions.

“Nigeria is on the right path to genuine greatness. I commend the President for this laudable epochal accomplishment,” he added.