True, there is a need to make adjustments to the way local governments are unduly tethered to the state governments through their joint accounts.

However, President GEJ should not create a new set of problems by basically dividing the country into 36+774 Federating units.

For one we cannot afford state-like local governments with all the bureaucracy and most importantly CORRUPTION that is going to follow.
Two, local governments are too small to independently conduct their own affairs.
Three, it is just saying the obvious to say that because local governments are the closest to the people they should have autonomy - one doesn't follow from the other. If that were the case, councils and wards should have autonomy and be treated as Federating units too.
Four, instead of focusing on whether the local governments are getting less than 20% of the funds allocated to each state or not - the right question is whether those local governments are carrying more or less than 20% of the responsibility in each state. If they are carrying less than 20% of the load then they have no business getting more than 20% of the funds coming to the states.

It is not really that hard to reform Nigeria if only our so-called leaders stop believing that being in office endows them with heavenly wisdom.
Just look around at how the best nations in the world are administering their systems of government, study these intensely and synthesis the best fit of governance for the structure and history of this nation.

We are still dealing with the unnecessary splitting of Nigeria that started with Gowon.
The direction for development in Nigeria is to fine-tune the current state setup so they can find ways to form congruent groups that best promote their development.

[url]http://www.thenigeriandaily.com/2012/11/30/councils-deserve-full-autonomy-%E2%80%93-jonathan/[/url]

BY CLIFFORD NDUJIHE & TONY EDIKE
ENUGU — PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, declared his readiness to fight for full autonomy for the local councils, saying no meaningful development could be achieved in the country if the councils were not vibrant and not allowed to function.

He spoke on the second day of the 13th annual extra-ordinary general assembly and national conference with the theme “Rediscovering the Nigerian local government system in the emerging constitution” organised by the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, ALGON, in Enugu.

The President, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Political Affairs, Ahmed Gulak, said since the councils were the closest tier of government to the people, the rising wave of insecurity in the country would have been reduced if they were functioning well.

He also expressed his opposition to the state/local government joint account, noting that the councils have a special role to play in his transformation agenda, which they were not doing currently. He also wondered if the local government councils were getting their share of the subsidy fund.

Lawyer sues Finance Minister, AGF

The President spoke as a lawyer, Raymond Onyegu, dragged the Finance Minister and the Attorney General of the Federation before a Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to stop statutory allocations to councils without elected chairmen.

Speaking at the forum, Onyegu, who lamented that 25 of the 36 states of the federation do not have elected governments while Anambra State has not held council polls since 1998, said a judgement of the Supreme Court holds that statutory allocation is meant for democratically elected local councils and not care-taker or transition committee chairmen

President berates govs

Jonathan’s support for the local councils is coming against the background of the continuing efforts by governors through the aegis of the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, to dislocate the councils from being recognised as federating units like the states.

NGF chairman, Governor Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, had earlier this week told a delegation of the House of Representatives Committee on Youths and Social Development that the governors would oppose suggestions to give the councils autonomy from the states and make them part of the federating units.

According to Jonathan, “vibrancy in the local governments means the constitution is functioning. Tenure of local governments depends on the whims and caprices of the state governors. That should not be so. The tenure of our local governments, whether three or four years, should be clearly defined in the Constitution.

“The President has no right to wake up and say he has dissolved a state government. So why must a state governor dissolve a council? Why are we following the constitution in breach? We must live up to our duty and expectation of upholding and defending the constitution.

“The President is 100 per cent in support of ALGON because the Local Government is the closest tier of government to the people.

He is in support of Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, which says that at every given time the local government must be democratically elected. The situation where some governors dissolve local governments is unconstitutional, illegal and unsustainable.

Joint account

“One issue affecting the local governments that the President is concerned about is the state-local government joint account. It erodes the autonomy of the local governments. The framers of the constitution did not envisage that the account will be run the way it is being run.

“The joint account means that allocation from the Federal Government and internally generated revenue must be put together for sharing but unfortunately, most local governments don’t get up to 20 per cent.

How do the local government chairmen function without funds? It is for this reason that President Jonathan is fighting for full autonomy of the local government. So continue to mobilize and sensitise people for the amendment to come through.”

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