H.E.JONATHAN, ALGON, AND FRANK UKONGA CANVASS FOR SEPERATION OF STATE/ LOCAL GOVERNMENT JOINT ACCOUNT

H.E.JONATHAN, ALGON, AND FRANK UKONGA CANVASS FOR SEPERATION OF STATE/ LOCAL GOVERNMENT JOINT ACCOUNT

H.E. PRESIDENT GOODLUCK JONATHAN OFFERED THE FOLLOWING OBSERVATIONS ON STATE/ LG JOINT ACCOUNT:
"One issue affecting the local governments that the President is concerned about is the state-local government joint account. It erodes the autonomy of the local governments. The framers of the constitution did not envisage that the account will be run the way it is being run.
"The joint account means that allocation from the Federal Government and internally generated revenue must be put together for sharing but unfortunately, most local governments don't get up to 20 per cent.

How do the local government chairmen function without funds? It is for this reason that President Jonathan is fighting for full autonomy of the local government. So continue to mobilize and sensitise people for the amendment to come through."

Lawyer sues Finance Minister, AGF: ALGON ON THE MOVE:
The President spoke as a lawyer, Raymond Onyegu, dragged the Finance Minister and the Attorney General of the Federation before a Federal High Court in Abuja, seeking to stop statutory allocations to councils without elected chairmen.
Speaking at the forum, Onyegu, who lamented that 25 of the 36 states of the federation do not have elected governments while Anambra State has not held council polls since 1998, said a judgement of the Supreme Court holds that statutory allocation is meant for democratically elected local councils and not care-taker or transition committee chairmen.

 
Prince Frank Ukonga in his monthly State of the Union Lecture said:
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTS: The separation of the state government account from the Local government account. The joint account system of the Nigerian Federation between the states and Local Government was done to put a kind of tacit control over the local government in the context of corruption and mismanagement by some erring local government chairmen but the governors who ware in charge as a check and balance concept, have usurped these local government funds and use the funds at their own whims and caprices. So it becomes imperative to give financial autonomy to the Local Governments and each local government Chairman will be held responsible by the EFCC and other anti corruption agencies in the case of looting and miss management. This will re awaken local government chairmen to their responsibilities and make the post more attractive and important to the federation as a developmental unit.

2.       LOCAL GOVERNMENT ELECTIONS: The dates of the terms of office of Local Government Chairmen ad their elected governing council and councilors be clearly spelt out and the new dates for another election be adhired to strictly. As soon as one term expires the Federal Government will cease to pay allocation to that local Government until another elected chairman take over office. This carrot and stick diplomacy will set new anxieties in the system that will encourage the Governors to conduct Local Government elections as at when due.

3.       DISSOLUTION OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT GOVERNING COUNCIL AND APPOINTMENT OF ADMINISTRATORS: State governors are to be banned from dissolving the elected Local Governments Executives and appointing new unelected Administrators for Local Governments. The issue here is that a serving elected Local Government Executive will continue to serve in that capacity until when an election is conducted and another Local Government Chairman emerges. On no condition must the State Governors be allowed in the new constitution to dissolve the duly elected members of the Local Government and replace them with appointed unelected Administrators. These far reaching powers given to the state Governors corrupted the systems of the Local Governing council concept of the Nigerian Federalism. It is fundamentally, dialectically and historically an insult to intelligence that a duly elected Local Government Council will be dissolved by a serving Governor and appoint in their place his friends, cronies, buddies and relations to loot the Local Government treasuries dry..

4.       THE FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION: ARE LOCAL GOVERNMENTS UNDER THE CONTROL OF STATE GOVERNORS OR INDEPENDENT DEVELOPMENTAL CENTRES OF THE NIGERIAN FEDERATION: Local Governments under the constitution are the grass root governing platform addressed to be closer to the people and as developmental centres with statutory functions to develop the various small units of which the Nigerian Federation has been divided into 774 units for the purpose of reaching out to the majority of the peoples of Nigeria. The Local Government have a Chief Executive Officer in person of the Local Government Chairman who is the Chief Security officer of the Local Government and also have his Supervisory councilors that play the role of Commissioners as in State level or Minister as in the Federal level. He also have a Legislative arm with Coate of Arm, elected Speaker and councilors that presides over his budget and the day to day running of the Local Government including formulating policies and passing bills for the purpose of developing the Local Government Council. So invariably the Local Government is a federating unit where everything that the Federal and state structures has is duplicated and replicated on the grass root level. The fundamental question of whether the Local Government is under the state Government in the aspect of control will cease to exist if the Local Governments through the association of Local Government Councils ALGON, seeks a legal clarification in the Supreme court for the purpose of putting the record straight and gaining autonomy. But from philosophical point of view I think the Local Government is independent of the state government, but should function in partnership with the state Governments. The degree of cooperation and subordination is what is at variance and the crucial aspect of the vexing issues.

5.       LOCAL GOVERNMENT AS FEDERATING UNITS: From the above it becomes belated and unnecessary to ask the question whether Local Governments are Federating units as it is obvious as truth self evident that they are the 3ed tier of Federating units of the Nigerian federation and this should be clearly spelt out in the constitutional amendment.