With the 2015 general elections fast approaching, an ex-Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Rowland Owie, has tasked Nigerians to vote out any governorship candidate or political party which campaigns against autonomy for local governments.
Speaking at the third annual award ceremony of the Association of Community Newspaper Publishers of Nigeria (ACNPN), Owie commended the National Assembly for granting autonomy to local governments in the ongoing constitution amendment, alleging that “those against LGA autonomy are greedy and anti-people”.
The Edo PDP bigwig, who was represented by Dr Alex Orukpe at the occasion, noted that autonomy for local governments will not only accelerate development at the grassroots but also provide employment opportunities “just like the states and federal that have full budget”.
He explained that “in the USA for instance, you have mayors, state governors, state Senate as well as the congress and the presidency. So it is not a new thing if we are sincere about practising true federalism.
“Autonomy for local governments is overdue in this country and it will be unfair to deprive the leaders of that level the opportunity to use their God-given initiative for the benefit of their people.”
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