The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria has expressed commitment to ensure that the judgement of the Supreme Court on local government administration in Nigeria yields positive fruits for citizens, especially those at the grassroots.
ALGON National President, Hon Aminu Muazu Maifafa said the association would work with all relevant stakeholders to develop strategies to enhance implementation of the judgement.
Maifafa spoke at a one-day meeting organised by ALGON with support from Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), a UK, Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) programme.
The meeting was attended by ALGON state chairmen across the country, members of Civil Society Groups and other stakeholders, including the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and Local Government Health workers.
Maifafa said all ALGON members are determined to ensure that the judgement aids good governance and enhances service delivery to people at the local government level across the state.
According to him, “We have the seal and the passion to ensure the success of this autonomy for local government so that our people at the local government level can be proud of us and that the efforts of all stakeholders towards this local government autonomy would not go in vein.”
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The Team Leader of the Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), Engage Citizens, Dr. John Mutu said Nigerians would benefit when there is good governance at the local government level.
He said, “With ALGON and other stakeholders, it’s for us to reflect together on the judgement, the implications on the local government and to collectively identify challenges that may limit the implementation of the judgement and to collectively agree on strategies to ensure that the judgement is not just well implemented but that serves are delivered to the citizens.”
“And a lot of issues have emerged from the conversation from NULGE, the local government workers, the NUT, as regards to primary amd basic education on what they see as challenges and recommendations have been made on what to do through constitution amendment process and through administrative processes.
“If carefully done, we believe that local government will be able to complement the efforts of the state and federal government to deliver services to the people that they are meant to serve”, Mutu said.
The FCDO Senior Governance Adviser, Chris Okeke harped on the need to ensure that local government funds are utilised judiciously to deliver services to the people at the grassroots.
He said, “Local Government administrators should be ready to build system to enable them effectively utilise resources that will be coming to them. We also expect that Local Government reforms will be citizen’s driven. Ensuring inclusion is at the heart of Local Government service delivery and community participation in the reforms going forward.”
The founding Executive Director of African Centre for Leadership, Strategy and Development (Centre LSD), Dr Otive Igbuzor charged Civil Society Organisations, media and independent institutions to monitor and ensure local government funds are not embezzled.
His words, “All hands must be in deck to ensure that local government delivers services to the people. Especially, those services that has been given to local government by the constitution. This shouldn’t mean transfer of money for primitive accumulation and embezzlement at the local level.”
“That’s why we must have mechanisms for transparency and accountability, including internal mechanisms, including legislative oversight, including independent institutions, including media scrutiny, including citizens engagement and Civil Society organisation monitoring of local government. When this is done, it’s only then that the Supreme Court judgement would be beneficial not just to local government officials but to all citizens of Nigeria,” Otive noted.
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