Governors across the country have been told to desist from template using to run local government affairs in the country. He described the use of ‘templates’ as ‘futile effort’, which cannot produce any meaningful development to neither states nor country.
President, National Union of Local Government Employee (NULGE) and Vice Chairman, Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Oyo State chapter, Comrade Bayo Titilola-Sodo disclosed this recently, noting that for local governments to run effectively and record any meaningful development in the country there is need for financial, administrative and political autonomy.
Comrade Bayo Sodo, while speaking with Pmparrotng.com emphasized that leadership of the union at national and states levels have expressed their concern and presented their list of demands on the issue of autonomy for the local government to the national assembly at a rally organized recently in Abuja.
He added “it is bothers us to see that less than half of 36 states governors of the federation have conducted elections into local government in their various states.”
He cited Oyo State as a case study, saying that the last local government elections was conducted in the state in 2010, thereby subjecting the local government chairmanship position to mere appointment upon appointment.
Comrade Titlola-Sodo explained that autonomy for local government will reduce drastically rural-urban drift, adding that focus will be on how to improve on agricultural system, develop solid minerals which will translate to job opportunities for the teeming youth at local level in the country.
On the state of affairs as far as local government administration is concerned in Oyo State, Comrade Sodo stated that local government workers in the state have become endangered species, stressed that local government workers are being owed arrears of salaries ranging from five to 11 months.
Comrade Sodo, however, revealed that efforts are being made by the union and relevant stakeholders to propose to government on how to make payment of salaries of local government workers, pensioners and primary school teachers a front-line charge from the state/local government joint account before distributing the rest to local governments and Local Council Development Areas.
He, therefore, appealed to the governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi to hasten his decision on the proposal in order to facilitate and ensure prompt implementation.
Packaged by Kunle Gazali
