Restoring dignity of local government system

The Senate last week ratified 23 new amendments to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. One of these was the scrapping of States Independent Electoral Commission (SIECs) through the approval of amendment to Section 124, and transferring their functions to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

We strongly support this move. Over the years since Nigeria’s return to civil rule, not much development has taken place at the local government level. The local governments have become mere pawns in the hands of the governors who have found ways, especially through the controversial joint accounts, to emasculate them financially.

This is one major reason most of the governors have preferred to appoint transition committees, mostly party loyalists, rather than conduct elections into the local government councils – so that they could have absolute control over the LG accounts. Apart from the 1999 general elections that ushered in a democratic Nigeria, not many states of the federation have witnessed elections into the local government councils. Where elections have taken place, they have been a mere charade.

This worrisome development led the recently concluded National Conference to recommend the scrapping of the SIECs. The major reason put forward by the conference delegates was that the SIECs had outlived their usefulness and had become tools for governors to manipulate elections into local government councils. The delegates had argued that, as it were, it was impossible for the opposition to win local government elections in states. In some instances, they said, election results were already prepared in government houses and that elections were just mere formalities.

They may not have been far from the truth. The 2010 local council elections in Imo State is a case in point. Out of the 20 political parties that fielded candidates in the August 7, 2010 elections organised by the PDP-led government in the state, the PDP won in all the 27 local government areas and the 305 councillorship wards. The story has been much the same across the states of the federation.

It is in the light of this that we support the scrapping of SIECs. The local governments need to be freed from the shackles of state governors. We agree with Nigerians who are of the opinion that the local government system is not working because of governors’ overwhelming and overbearing control on them, in addition to massive corruption and political patronage prevalent in the system.

We believe that it is only by freeing the local governments from the control of the states, in every ramification, that they can function as agents of grassroots development as the tier of government closest to the people. Only then can they begin to assume their rightful duties, which include construction and maintenance of local roads, streets, streetlights, drains, parks, gardens, open spaces, or such public facilities; provision and maintenance of public conveniences, sewage and refuse disposal; establishment, maintenance and regulation of slaughter houses, slaughter slabs, markets and motor parks, among others.

While we await the outcome of deliberations on the new amendments from the state Houses of Assembly, where each item would require the concurrence of two-thirds of the 36 state assemblies, we commend the Senate for a job well done. We also call on Nigerians to be on the alert to hold the new local government leaders accountable and blow the whistle as the need arises.