It’s been 58 years since we’ve been building the skyscraper called Nigeria yet she’s still yet to stand. But who can blame the nation for not reaching the peak when the foundation is deeply flawed?! Adopting a presidential system (3 tiers of government) with the aim and objective to have a functioning, effective and productive government at the grassroots. we’ve made a mess of this down the years.
So, as a nation we had a sober reflection and decided that we had to restructure. And on July 26 2017, our joy knew no bounds when the Senate accepted the proposal to strip the state government of the power to conduct Local Government elections in a bid to grant LGs autonomy. My Oh My, our hopes in the nation was renewed only for us to have our hopes dashed a day after when the House of Representatives rejected the bill to alter the Nigerian Constitution. A bill that would have guaranteed an autonomous democratically constituted local government council through elections to be conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Consequently, the mediocrity and corruption continued, but how long can we continue to live this way?
Make no mistake we can never develop as a nation if our political foundation is in shambles. And this starts with conducting free and fair elections at the grass root level. Still unsure of the benefits of having local government elections conducted by INEC?
Below are reasons that’ll definitely convince YOU –
TRANSPARENCY
Over the 36 states are deeply troubling news from the local government councils. Much worse is the fact that we can’t predict when this will end. From sitting down in their offices to appoint local government chairmen, to cancelling primaries only to announce the preferred candidate as the winner, the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIEC) has made a mess of the electoral process at the grass root level. And it’s for no other reason but because the setup is largely biased. The SIEC commission members are usually the ruling Governor’s appointee who would strive that the interest of their Boss is achieved at all cost. It even gets saddening when forms are sold at exhorbitant rates. Only for it to happen that there won’t be any election but a selection. How long can we continue to have the governor’s political party sweep the local government elections of the state irrespective of the strength and popularity in that state?!. We can’t go far as a nation if such selections is unfair and unjust. By giving the power to INEC, we will be heading in the right direction with transparent elections.
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TOOLS AGAINST THE MASSES
Since Chairmen and Councillors are selected by Governors they have no choice but to be loyal to the hierarchy that put them in position. And this comes at the detriment of the people. Over the years, in a bid to monopolise the state administration, or pay back their debt to Godfathers, we’ve seen misfits take up leadership roles at the grass root level and this has led to poor governance and poor delivery of service in our LGs. Thus, if we want to see an end to corruption and the use of local governments for personal benefits, INEC should conduct election in local councils. If done, no longer would political thugs, snipers, mistresses and figureheads be selected as leaders in our local government council.
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ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE PEOPLE
How can you be accountable to the people when you did not solicit for their votes and you were never elected by them in the first place? This is the situation we face in our nation. Unfairly selected local government officials are not inclined to be responsible to their people. Consequently, little or nothing is done in the interest of the people. And for this reason, INEC should conduct elections to create an atmosphere where Chairmen and Councillors have no choice but to give the account of their stewardship to the electorate.
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DEVELOPMENT
It’s a known fact that the federal government allocation has never made a significant impact at the grass root level. And it’s for this reason local government councils were created to have the government closer to the people. But unfortunately, the aim has not been achieved because the local governments are under the armpit of the Governors. Originally Local Governments were meant to provide social amenities and infrastructure for the people, But sadly this is something we might never experience if governors keep puppeteering the local government leaders. We can never develop as a nation if Governors continue to eat up the allocations of local government councils and use their offices for personal benefits.
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Getting our foundation right as a nation starts with putting the right people in place. And with the current situation of the country, we will be on the right path if INEC is given the authority to conduct local government elections. Effecting this change will boost our hope for a greater Nigeria and better living in our grassroots.
I Senator Rilwan Adesoji Akanbi stand strongly and firmly for Local Government Autonomy and for INEC to duely conduct Local Government Elections and I will not relent on this.
Culled from Senator Rilwan Adesoji Akanbi Facebook Page.