The Executive Director of Grassroots Watch, Adeola Soetan, on Monday, said that the arm of government at the local level is the strong foundation of Nigerian government while the state government is only artificial.
Speaking on Channels Television’s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily, Mr Soetan said that the creation of more local governments will not bring about better development except government officials are sincere.
He also pointed out that money invested in ‘social indulgence’ like congratulatory messages to each other is the same money that should be used in installing borehole systems, building schools and so on.
78.5percent of rural based local governments are not interested in who governs them, they are particularly interested about the development of their community.
Following the many arguments that have trailed the call for local government autonomy, Mr Soetan stated that there is need for local government to be independent of the state governments.
According to him, minimal responsibilities like tenement rate, markets that allow local governments to operate and develop have been taken over by state governments therefore limiting their level of improvement.
“The state government has assumed they have the mandate to take over duties that rightfully belong to the local government,” he said.
Mr. Soetan said that Governors, who are not in support of autonomy believe the local government is not a necessary tier of government and it should also have appointed not elected leaders, making this ‘appointed’ local government chairmen indebted to the Governor that put them in power.