By SADIQ ABUBAKAR, Maiduguri –
Stakeholders at a two day workshop on capacity building organized by Social Development Integrated Centre in Borno, have called for the removal of section 8 of the 1999 constitution of Nigeria, in order to give room for the 774 Local Government Councils autonomy in Nigeria, which would bring about make effectiveness and efficiency.
The participants who are mainly members of Community-Based Organizations (CBO) and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and community group stakeholders, also suggested for functional machinery to monitor and supervise LGCs administration and management by ensuring checks and balances in the system and finances of the third tier of government in the county, which have been turned into a venture instead of service delivery establishment.
The forum, further, called for the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commission across the 36 states of the Federation and FCT Abuja, in order to entrench democracy at the grassroots and ensure good governance through proper and lawful election of public office holders in into LGCs offices. Instead of states governors nominating their favourite candidates against the wishes and interest of the people at the grassroots.
Majority of the participants were also of the view that corrupt practices have bedevilled LGCs administration in Nigeria by way of diversion of public funds into personal coffers of most LGCs politicians and workers without punishment.
They also criticized the manner LGCs budgeting were carried out and even implemented without community participation, neither dialogue or identification of priority and immediate needs of the LGCs communities through Needs Assessment which have resulted in incomplete projects while others abandoned.
The participants also observed that most LGCs budgets and programmes implementations were carried out without proper advocacy, consultation and mobilization with the community influential groups and stakeholders.
The forum, however, recommended for an immediate Federal Government intervention and all stakeholders in order to make the LGCs more functional in service delivery for community development and progress across the country in the public interest and democracy
Speaking on the workshop, The Project Coordinator, Mr. Botti Isaac told journalists in an interview that state governments have paralysed LGCs administration and made them ineffective by way of depriving them from having full access to their monthly statutory allocations in the name of LGC Joint Account.
He added that this has further worsen the situation and rendered the LGCs incapacitated and non functional as their needs can not be met, couple with the limited resources to carry out development projects.
“The LGCs Chairmen and Councilors that are being appointed by the state governors don’t usually perform like those elected by the people to serve them as their choice, noting that, the situation has made it difficult for citizens participation in budgets preparation and implementation”, he said.
Speaking on LGCs autonomy, the project coordinator, said with the autonomy, the problems and challenges could be addressed in the system to make the LGCs more effective, and efficient as well as to functional democratically, instead of being a business venture.
On his part, The Project Manager, Mr. Prince Edegbuo, revealed that the essence of the two day capacity building workshop for the CSOs and community stakeholders was to equip them with adequate knowledge on LGCs administration, transparency and accountability, among others.
He added that it was also to motivate the participants into engaging actively in monitoring, and to budgeting and implementation processes of the LGCs projects for the purpose effective service delivery to the grassroots people.
A participant, Mohammed Aji who is the State Secretary of National Association of Physically Challenged, Borno State Chapter, commended the organisers, stressing that the workshop was beneficial and exploitive to his members.
While another participant, Evangelist Elizabet, The Managing Director of Hopeful Initiative, said the workshop was an eye open for grassroots administration checks and balances as well as citizens involvement in LGCs budgeting and its implementations for effectivity and efficiency.
DISCLAIMER
The OPINION / COLUMN is authored by independent contributors to the National Accord Newspaper. While contributors adhere to our editorial guidelines, they are not employed by the National Accord Newspaper. The perspectives and opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of the National Accord Newspaper or its staff.
Leave a Reply