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| H.E. Prince Frank Ukonga [standing] delivering a lecture on Federating Units and LGA Autonomy in Benin Recently |
Breaking News : Kaduna LGA
Autonomy: The Chairman IPAC Edo state/ South South Region H.E. Prince Frank
Ukonga, laud the governor of Kaduna state His Excellency Malam Nasir El Rufai
for granting autonomy and independence to all the LGAs of Kaduna state,
abolishing the State/ LGA joint account and granting direct access to all LGA chairmen
of the state to their funds as a sin qua non that would be given national
interpretation if the Kaduna state LGA Chairmen performs credibly well but if
they fail to deliver other state governors would be reluctant to grant autonomy
to LGA. Nevertheless we appeal to all governors of Nigeria to replicate this
giant stride of Kaduna state. Note President Mohammadu Buhari has 2 weeks ago
backed Prince Frank Ukonga’s thesis for autonomy for the LGA, so that dividends
of democracy can reach the grass root and to make the LGA chairmen more accountable
and committed to quality service delivery to the electorate.
For some time now, there has been a dispute on the question
of federating units of the Nigerian federation which His Excellency Prince
Frank Ukonga prime moved in his Thesis promoting the autonomy of local governments
of Nigeria in the three tiers government structure; where the Local governments
has been seeded as the grass root federating units. But the state 36 state governors
of Nigeria are ill at ease with this Thesis of Prince Frank Ukonga to recognizing
the Local Government as the federating units insisting that the 36 states of
the Nigerian federation should form the basis of federating units. Former President
Jonathan backed frank Ukonga’s thesis supporting autonomy for the LGAs, and recently
in the first outing of President Mohammadu Buhari two weeks ago, the amiable
president of Nigeria also backed the thesis of Prince Frank ukonga supporting
autonomy of the LGAs. Previously, the impasses was taken to court by the ALGON-
The association of all the 774 LGAs of Nigeria, on the advice of Prince Frank
Ukonga and the court was clear that the 774 LGAs of Nigeria are federation
units and not under the governors. Next the issue was strongly debated by the
National Dialogue for several weeks and the National dialogue committee recommended
autonomy for the Local governments..Which was a big victory for Prince Frank Ukonga’
convictions, the LGA Chairmen and ALGON. This victory was lauded by the House
of Representative of the7 th Republic under His Excellency Tambuwal who was
then the speaker of the National Assembly and the House of Representatives
passed the bill for autonomy for Local Governments,, But this victory was short
lived as the senate of the 7th Republic under Senator David Mark as
Senate President decided to side with the governors and stopped the LGA autonomy
bill, and independence of the Local Governments in Nigeria.
But just yesterday a resounding victory for the Local Government/
Prince Frank Ukonga thesis came from Kaduna state where the new governor of
Kaduna state His Excellency Malam El Rufia made history by granting autonomy to
all the Local governments in Kaduna state and abolishing joint state and LGA accounts.
This is the first of its kind in the History of Nigeria and Sub Saharan Africa.
His Excellency Prince Frank Ukonga offered this remarks yesterday over the giant
stride of Malam El Rufia the governor of Kaduna state in granting autonomy and independence
to the LGAs “ Malam El Rufia has made history toady by granting autonomy and independence
to all the LGA of Kaduna state as first of its kind in Nigeria and sub Saharan Africa.
His Excellency El Rufai is perhaps the wisest governor of the Nigerian
federation since this new democratic dispensation started in 1999; by granting
LGA autonomy under the supervision of the state government, he has asserted the
de facto, de jure instance of the state government as the federating units, but
making it a win – win game for all. He is wiser than all other governors who
are negatively creating new Local governments Areas illegally as means to asserting
De facto, de jure supremacy over the LGAs” .[ Note that OBJ stopped the
allocations to LGAs of Lagos state for 3 years when the then governor of Lagos
state H.E. Bola Tinubu crated 56 LGA out of 20 legal LGA as a strategy to
assert de jure, de facto supremacy over LGA of Lagos state} prince frank ukonga
concluded by saying that “it is a
fantastic win- win stratagem and we commend His Excellency Malam El Rufia for
this giant courageous chess move. He is a future presidential material of the Nigerian
federation” .
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