Following the landmark ruling of the Supreme Court giving financial autonomy to local governments, former national vice president of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olabode George, has urged President Bola Tinubu to ensure the complete restructuring of the country. ..Read Full Article
In a statement, George said the court ruling of Thursday granting local governments autonomy is not only a victory for democracy, but a big boost for Nigeria’s political and economic development.
He said: “The apex court was precise and unambiguous in its verdict: allocations to local governments must be paid directly from the Federation Account to councils governed by democratically-elected officials.
“The judiciary has, once again, proved that it is the last hope of the common man. This courageous verdict from the apex court, obviously, will have far-reaching implications for the growth of democracy in the world’s most populous Black country and Africa’s biggest democracy. This courageous judgement will also strengthen democratic principles at the local level and foster transparency.”
Speaking further, George said he read President Tinubu’s statement hailing the verdict and talking about restructuring and advised the President to go further because what Nigerians want is a complete overhaul of the polity and that it is the only way Nigeria can work.
“Nigerians want total restructuring and this will lead to decentralisation of power, fortify our democracy and ensure that dividends of democracy reach all Nigerians anywhere they may be in the country. For any country to develop, there must be a strategic plan for a bottom-up approach to governance, not the other way round. We cannot be doing the same thing, over and over again, and expect another result.
“For instance, in many developed countries, how many airports – international and local – are controlled by the central government? Jackson Airport in Atlanta, the United States is one of the busiest and most profitable airports globally. Atlanta City Council controls it. What of seaports? A major challenge in Nigeria is that almost everything is over-centralised.
“Many states in the U.S. have Supreme Courts and that is where legal cases in such states end, not in Washington D.C. In Nigeria, all cases must go to Abuja.
“Here, for something as minute as mining gold in any part of the country, somebody must approve in Abuja. So, how do we want to develop Nigeria?
Look at Lagos State with 20 local governments. Ogun State also with 20 local governments. Every month, money will be sent to 20 councils in Lagos and 20 councils in Ogun and we all know the contributions of Lagos State to national development. Why should Lagos and Ogun have the same number of councils? Lagos and Kano states were created in 1967. Jigawa was later carved out of Kano. Today, Lagos has 20 councils, Kano 44 and Jigawa 27. So, in essence, after 57 years, the old Lagos still has 20 councils while the old Kano (now Kano and Jigawa) has 71. Where is the justice in the system?
“I strongly believe that states should determine the number of LGs they want. Also, what is the business of the Federal Government with parks? What exactly is the business of the federal government with livestock, agriculture, water and even education? What is the business of governors with markets?
We want a new Nigeria where development starts from the grassroots. Everything must change. Nigerians are losing patience. Everything here is centralised. The Supreme Court has started the revolution. This is the right time to rejig our Constitution in full,” George said.
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