Comrade Sheriff Mulade, the coordinator of the Centre for Peace and Environmental Justice (CEPEJ) has averred that granting the third tier of the Nigeria system of governance autonomy to operate is not a one-stop solution to the current ills of democracy in the country.
Chief Mulade made the assertion while reacting to the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy on Friday.
Fielding questions from our correspondent in Warri, the Gbaramatu Kingdom chief welcomed the development, but warned that if not closely monitored, the financial autonomy granted local government will still not engender the needed development because most chairmen are apron strings of their state governors.
The chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), therefore, advocated a monthly publication of allocation to local government areas for transparency and accountability to enable the grassroots to monitor their resources for development.
“Firstly, it’s a welcome development to deepen our democracy. However, it is not a solution to the current democratic process in Nigeria because paying the money directly to local government wouldn’t translate into any form of genuine people-oriented development because over 99 per cent of local chairmen are tools in the hands of the sitting governors.
“Secondly, if we must give some level of total independence to LG, I will suggest that INEC should conduct all elections into LGs.
“Thirdly, to avoid mismanagement and misapplication, monthly allocation must be published for transparency and accountability to enable the grassroots to monitor their resources for development.
“Finally, it is imperative to state that with this judgement, LGs will create opportunities for the grassroots and must be accountable to the people,” he asserted.
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