The two factions of the Nigeria Governors Forum, NGF, have for the first time since they parted ways agreed on an issue, as they have both opposed the proposal by the National Assembly that autonomy be granted to the country’s local governments.
In separate reactions, the two factions, led by Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State and Jonah Jang of Plateau State, rejected the autonomy proposal for the local government system on the grounds that it does not align with the workings of a federal system.
The two chambers of the National Assembly had adopted the proposal for administrative and financial autonomy for the local governments as the third tier of government in the federation. This move, which has been received with joy among some stakeholders in the local government system, is now being opposed by the two factions of the NGF.
In its reaction to the move by the National Assembly to grant autonomy to the local governments, the Amaechi-led faction speaking through its Director-General, Asishana Okauru, affirmed that the body would continue to oppose the issue of autonomy for local governments.
Okauru, who was speaking in a telephone interview with Vanguard, said: “The NGF does not support autonomy for local governments. The governors are against it; they have said it and still maintain that they will not support autonomy for local governments.
“There is no country in the world that there are three federating units; there are only two all over the world. Why should you say that there must be a third federating unit in Nigeria?” he queried.
The Director General recalled that the chairman of the forum, Governor Amaechi, aside making a similar call last year, had at a session with journalists recently said that the governors would continue to push against granting autonomy for the 774 local governments in the country.
However, in a strange show of solidarity with the Amaechi-led forum, the Jang faction of the NGF in a statement by its secretary, Earl Osaro Onaiwu, said: “The NGF under the leadership of Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State has differed with the NASS over the move to amend the constitution and grant local governments full administrative and financial autonomy.” DailyPost had reported this earlier.
The governors accused some members of the National Assembly of exploiting the conference committee to force through an amendment that was clearly rejected by the Senate during the constitution amendment debates and votes.
Onaiwu in the statement quoted the governors as saying that “it was improper in an issue of this magnitude for the conference committee to overturn the position of a majority in the upper house.
“The push for local government autonomy by the National Assembly was hasty without first considering the problems of executive recklessness and ineffective administration at the local level.”
They went on to warn that “the amendment will lead to the hijack of some local government administrative structures by a few powerful individuals without the oversight the state government currently provides.”
The Jang faction of the forum ended by expressing confidence that the amendment will not see the light of the day as majority of the state Houses of Assembly will not assent to it.
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