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Lawyers Seek Constitutional Amendments to Strengthen LG Autonomy

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A Human Rights Activist, Mr Malachy Ugwummadu, has called on the National Assembly to amend the constitution to strengthen Local Government autonomy.

He made the call while reacting  to the Supreme Court  landmark judgment on financial autonomy of the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs).

Speaking to a correspondent on Sunday in Lagos, the lawyer noted that it was important to ensure that other laws were also amended in the states, particularly the laws establishing independent electoral commissions in the states.

The former national president of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), said the law that established the independent electoral commissions in the states was in Part 11 of the third schedule of the 1999 Constitution.

He added that their powers were specified under Section 7 of the fourth schedule to the 1999 constitution.

“Thus, it is very doubtful whether the respective State Houses of Assembly can outsource their legislative powers to the National Assembly or make laws binding on the Federal Government.

“Similarly, Section 15 (a) of item F in the third Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) does not grant INEC powers to conduct elections into local government councils in Nigeria.

“Thus, the amendment sought would empower an independent body to be constituted at state levels, through the public nominations for elections through stakeholders in the respective states or by state judicial service commission.

“The focus is to attain independence and impartiality of the election management team at states levels, otherwise, the window of collaboration provided under Sections 14(3), 15(a)(h) and (i) as well as Section 4(b) of Part 11 of third schedule are sufficient to allow  INEC to undertake the conduct of elections into local councils, pending the amendment of the relevant provisions of the constitution,” he stated.

The human rights lawyer further said that in respect of the joint account under Section 62(6) of the 1999 Constitution, the position of the Supreme Court which was effectively the law, was that monies standing to the credit of the LGAs, should go directly to the councils, without the necessities of paying them into the designated joint accounts of the states.

“Considering that the Supreme Court judgment has just liberated and empowered the local government councils in Nigeria, it is now the law of the land, it takes effect from the day of the judgment, requiring no amendments or any appeal.

“However, the National Assembly,  through the executive, could consider an executive bill to bring the affected provisions in conformity with the judgment, which is the law, pending any amendments of the constitution which is much more rigorous and long drawn,” Ugwummadu said.

Also speaking, another Lagos-based Lawyer, Mr Abdul Wahab, said that the supreme court judgment was out to correct “whatever odds that was embedded in the constitution and other ancillary laws that were associated with the running of the local government administration”.

Wahab said even if the National Assembly,  by its own role, commenced  measures by amending all offending sections of the constitution, the executive arm of government could also by executive bills to the lawmakers, make necessary amendments to the offending sections of the constitution.

According to him, not all issues will be resolved in line with the judgment of the court immediately, despite the fact that the court delivered the judgment which had since become law.

“It will take gradual steps for things to take shape and regarding the joint account, I am sure the states and local government councils in subsequent weeks, will put machinery in force to ensure compliance with the dictates of the judgment of the supreme court .

“Yes the constitution placed the control of the local government affairs under the State Houses of Assembly.

“However, the judgment of the supreme court is not unaware of these constitutional roles. However again, these state houses of assembly will not and cannot act beyond the role specified by the supreme court,”.

The lawyer, who said he was yet to read the judgment in full, noted that the little he had read, dealt with the financial autonomy, which completely removed the local government as an appendage of the state government.

According to him, the local government councils can sit with the legislative arm, to determine how they receive, generate their own income and how it has to be spent.

“Unfortunately, it is not yet a cruise for the councils, as the judgment also has grave implications for the local governments.

“This is because some of these states will also relinquish some of the responsibilities carried or shouldered, on behalf of the affected local councils, which will in effect, carry its own cross in line with the order of the supreme court.

“I hope and believe this will not affect the payment of the council staffers, execution of major projects and disaster management among others, which are being shared between the state and the local governments, before the judgment of the supreme court.

“The judgment has nothing to do with INEC because there are agitations too, regarding the power of the states conducting local elections.

“The autonomy granted by the apex court does not in any way affect or have anything to do with the conduct of elections, into the local councils,” Wahab said.

The lawyer further explained that the autonomy granted to local government councils did not in anyway, remove the powers of the state assemblies, to check and supervise the finance of the councils, as well as that of the state government.

According to him,  the apex court judgment is a leeway to the good things to come in relation to the running of the affairs of the local government councils in the country. (NAN)

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Yuletide: Bode George Urges Tinubu to Reduce Petrol Price

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Chief Bode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has urged President Bola Tinubu to reduce the price of petrol   to N300 per litre ,to make things easy for Nigerians during the festive season.

George, the Atona Oodua of Yorubaland, made this plea at an interactive session with newsmen on Wednesday in Lagos.

The price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly known as petrol, is currently above N1,000 per litre.

According to the elder statesman,Nigerians  are going through hardship, the President should give an order to reduce fuel price, specifying time frame the people will enjoy such window of relief.

He said that the federal government as well as well- meaning individuals and businesses could bear the cost of such price slash , to bring happiness to all Nigerians.

The PDP leader, who noted that December and January are  special months , said that such gesture could start from the  middle of December and run through January.

“I have been thinking, as a Nigerian, what can we do because the anger and the hunger are almost equal on the streets of Nigeria.

“What am I suggesting is that Mr President should sit down with his managers and give an order that from the middle of December to the end of January, the cost of petrol will be N300 per litre.

“The government can absorb the losses in the interest of the suffering people.

“If they (government) want others to contribute, let us know how much that is going to cost and ask people to donate, to bear the cost.

“We will be sending a lot of messages of happiness across the tribes and homes.

“Everybody in Nigeria will be happy because it will positively impact on this period of the year. It is a challenge and he (Tinubu) can do it.

“We need this in this December and January to put smiles on the faces of Nigerians, ” George, a PDP Board of Trustees (BOT) life member, said.

Advising the President to take further measures to bring relief to the people, he said that the gesture would crash prices of essential commodities and services for the benefit of all .

He said that government’s efforts should be concentrated on reducing high inflation rate, unemployment, poverty and youth restlessness  in order to create a better future for Nigerians

Speaking on the recent presidential election in Ghana, George noted that Nigeria’s electoral system  needed reforms to guard against electoral frauds and manipulations.

According to him, the nation will continue to grope for development if the system fails to encourage best candidates  to emerge.

Stating that election must reflect the wishes of the people and be devoid of  religious and tribal sentiments, George said that Ghana election should be a wake up call for Nigeria.

“INEC performance must improve. The commission must make sure that the voice of the people is  heard in elections.

“Electoral offenders should be made to face the music and sent to jail. We must be very firm about due process, credibility and transparency in elections,” he said.

Urging the President to revisit resolutions in the 2014 Constitutional Conference, George said that the current constitution was not federal in principle and practice.

“We should not deceive ourselves, the constitution is a problem. It is a military constitution, it is not democratic,” he said.

George called on the National Assembly to ensure devolution of powers and electoral reforms that would do away with manual collation of election results and mandate electronic transmission of election results from polling units.

George disagreed with political watchers saying no  vacancy in  presidency in 2027.

On the dwindling strength of the former ruling party, George, who noted that all organisations had its ups and downs, said that selfish interests and disregard for  party rules remained PDP’s major challenge.

He said that PDP could bounce back and win presidential election if the leadership decided to elevate national interest above selfish interests and adhere to the party’s constitution.

“We will tell ourselves some serious old truth. We messed ourselves  up. ” he said.

Stating, however, that the PDP was not dead, George said that lack of justice, equity, fairness and the inability to adhere to the  party’s zoning and rotational principle cost the party victory in 2023.

Calling on the party’s founding fathers alive to wake up and rescue the party, George said that Nigerians were still waiting for the former ruling party to take over power and put things right. (NAN)

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Tinubu Set for Groundbreaking of Renewed Hope City in Lagos 

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President Bola Tinubu, is set to perform the  groundbreaking of 2,000 housing units of the Renewed Hope City in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos, in the next few weeks.

Mr Ahmed Dangiwa, Minister of Housing and Urban Development, announced this during an official assessment visit, on Wednesday in Lagos

Dangiwa said Lagos would represent the South-west, while the president would do that of the North-West in Kano, before doing that of the four other regions.

“Arrangements is already on ground, we have gotten sites, and work has commenced for 2000 houses in the Renewed Hope City that we intend to build in Ibeju-Lekki,” he said.

Towards achieving the set goal, the minister said the visiting team also paid a courtesy visit to Gov.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu to discuss area of collaboration between the federal and state governments.

He disclosed that the federal and Lagos state governments had agreed to set up a Tripartite committee and ensure all the issues of concerns between the parties were resolved amicably for the benefit of all.

Earlier, the Minister embarked on an assessment visit of deplorable Federal Government buildings and assets across Lagos state in a bid to commence rehabilitation on them in a few months.

Dangiwa said the rehabilitation was necessary as the deplorable buildings posed a challenge and security concerns to the Lagos state government. (NAN)

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Gov. Alia Presents N550.1bn as 2025 Budget Estimate to Benue Assembly 

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Gov. Hyacinth Alia on Wednesday presented the sum of N550.1bn as the 2025 appropriation bill to the Benue State House of Assembly for consideration and passage into law.

Alia told the lawmakers that out of the total budget size, N175.4 billion is for recurrent expenditure while the N374.

7 billion is for capital expenditure.

The governor said that the total estimate represented a 47.

5  per cent increment over the 2024 revised and approved figure of N373 billion.

He stated that the appropriation bill tagged “Budget of Human Capital Development, Food Security, and Digital Economy” was to consolidate the gains made in 2024.

Alia further explained that the proposed recurrent expenditure of N175.

4 billion was 13.55 per cent higher than the previous year.

According to him, budgeted capital expenditure of N374.7 billion represents a 71.5 per cent increment on the 2024 revised capital expenditure.

“The budget breakdown indicated that the sum of N212.2 billion, representing 38.52 per cent is for administration; N196.6 billion, representing 35.68 per cent is for the economy; law and justice will take N26.6 billion, representing 4.84 per cent while social welfare will gulp N115.5 billion, representing 20.96 per cent.

“We have the vision. We have the will. And most importantly, we have the people ready to work alongside us to turn this vision into reality.

“Together, we will build a state where every citizen has the opportunity to succeed, where food is plentiful, and where the digital economy opens new frontiers of opportunity for all,” he said.

The governor said the intention of the government was to stay within the limits of its recurring revenue to build the state without accruing unnecessary debts for generations unborn.

He, however, said that since the 2025 budget was a deficit one, it proposed a borrowing plan of a conservative sum of N26bn, representing a modest 4.7 per cent of the proposed aggregate expenditure for 2025.

“This is lower than the state’s debt-to-GDP ratio of 8.2 per cent which is within the benchmark of the 25 per cent debt sustainability threshold.

“Despite these favourable debt ratios, I want to reiterate that borrowing will only be considered as a last resort and for regenerative investment purposes,” he added.

Alia stated that the problem of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) remained a challenge, adding that they have reasonably improved their living conditions.

He said the Bureau of International Cooperation and Development has elicited substantial grants from donors, totalling N85bn. (NAN)

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