Senator Moro
By Miriam Humbe, Abuja
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Patrick Abba Moro on Tuesday, criticised the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, (NULGE) for maintaining muted silence amid the local government Constitutional autonomy debate.
He said that, “even NULGE rejected the local government autonomy Constitutional reforms”
Senator Moro said this on Tuesday in Abuja while speaking as special guest at a 3-day national stakeholders conference on Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs.
For a better understanding, intergovernmental relations are an interacting network of institutions at national, State and local levels, created and refined to enable the various parts of government to cohere in a manner more or less appropriate to our institutional arrangements.
Senator Moro therefore derided the leadership of NULGE saying that: “NULGE has maintained a very dangerous silence in the face of the masculation of the local governments in the country”.
Senator Moro who won his re-election into the red chamber in the February 25 election said that the conference had “come at a most auspicious time, especially against the backdrop of the unfortunate rejection of the local government autonomy Bill by most States in the federation”.
Only recently, State Houses of Assembly across Nigeria rejected nine Constitutional amendment bills including the proposed legislation for financial and administrative autonomy for local government councils.
Senator Moro therefore hoped that, “Because we are an evolving society, with sensitisation conferences like this, people will come to realise what they are missing by not having local government autonomy”.
Senator Moro vowed that: “As long as I remain in the National Assembly, I will continue to bring up the issue of local government autonomy”.
The event was themed: “Harnessing Grassroots Potentials for Service Delivery for Sustainable Development: The Proper Place of Local Government Administration and Inter-Governmental Relations”.
In a keynote address, the Chief host and Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator George Akume said that “federalism which we have chosen as our system of government, due to our diversity can only thrive where the principle of Inter-governmental relations is properly practiced.
“This is the reason why the debate on the devolution of powers has been kept on the front burner in Nigeria for a long time now. Federalism requires the growth of of each tier of government on the one hand and an improvement of the Inter-governmental relationships among the Tiers on the other hand.”
Senator Akume lamented that although the fifth Constitution Alteration Bill of 2023 recently received Presidential accent, that did not include anything related to Intergovernmental Relations and Local Government Administration and development.
The Minister said that the local government, the third tier of government was the weakest, although being nearest to the people.
He commended the National Assembly for its current efforts in strengthening the local government administration through the passing of relevant laws.
Akume appealed to the participants and all stakeholders to support and help improve Intergovernmental Relations and Local Government development.
Participants at the conference were drawn from the 36 States of the federation and Abuja.
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