SOMETIMES Nigerians rejoice over some government policies only to find out later that they wasted their euphoria. Remember when the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, announced he would ensure electronic transmission of results in the 2023 general elections. Nigerians rejoiced. The sleeping youth awoke.
Who told you that direct allocation makes the LGAs “autonomous”? The Chairmen and Councillors will still be handpicked by the Governor’s party and railroaded through the State Independent Electoral Commission, SIEC, to function at the Governor’s pleasure. The Governor still has his grip on the State Joint Local Government Account System, SJLGAS. The rubberstamp State Assemblies still have full power to supervise the LGAs and push them around at the Governors’ pleasure.
The 1999 Constitution is ambiguous about powers over the LGAs. Section 7 gives the State the power to create new LGAs but they will only be constitutionally recognised after their names and headquarters have been listed by an Act of the National Assembly. It is also only then that they will be granted federal allocations. The arrangement is such that it is virtually impossible to create new LGAs. We are stuck with the self-serving structure left by the military.