BRING TO THE FORE FRONT OUR DEMOCRACY

RESTRUCTURING BEGINS WITH THE GRASSROOT

Growing up as a child in Bukuru, Jos south LGA of Plateau state, I can make bold to say I was already a wise child to know the affairs of government and also know the trend from military dictatorship to civilian rule or democracy as it is formally called in our today’s world.

I witnessed one of the first democratically elected chairmen in Jos South LGA, popularly known as Da I.D Gyang. He hails from my hometown in Kuru. It looked as if the people of Kuru had the whole world in their hands because of the feeling that our very own ran the helm of affairs. Now that is what I call “The grass root feeling”.
It is a feeling that gives you the edge to lay your complaints and observations to the nearest and most efficient quarter and expect your request to be attended to and in a swift manner, whether positively or negatively.

This brings me to the point on the need to endow the local governments their Autonomy. The local government is the third and the nearest/Direct Tier of government. Its existence and recognition was conceived by the 1999 constitution as amended which was graciously spelt out in section 7(1) of the same.

“The system of local government by democratically elected local government councils is under this constitution guaranteed; and accordingly, the government of every state shall, subject to section 8 of this constitution ensure their existence under a law which provides for the establishment, structure, composition, finance and functions of such councils”. Furthermore the constitution also state thus; that the National/State house of assembly shall make provisions for the statutory allocations for public revenue to local government councils across the federation.

My heart bleeds however that despite these well-constructed and structurally defined guidelines of the hallowed Nigerian constitution, a lot of states have faulted and are found wanting in this regard. Majority of the total sum of the 774 Local government councils in this country are deprived of their revenue allocation to carry out the true tenets of democracy which lays its bedrock on the platform of the ‘Grassroots’. Today local government councils have become a big joke and a shadow to themselves across the country or simply put, the Joker cards of politicians in power who encapsulate and place them under their whims and caprices.

Some State governments have practically tampered with statutory allocations of revenue that has been allotted to the local government councils, the councils are at the mercy of the state and cannot challenge this gross violation of the constitution. In fact a lot of states do not conduct LGA elections when the people running the affairs of state have the understanding that the grassroots are far from them.

On the contrary they constitute a demonized pogrom to democracy called The Transition committee, in order to create a ‘restaurant’ for a selected few to enjoy the free food of democracy, and at the end of the day the so called democracy that our heroes past have clamored for is almost going in vain. This is why I am a strong advocate and astute supporter for the actualization of the autonomy for local government councils. I commend the frantic efforts of the National assembly in bringing out a new design for the constitution to grant this autonomy. With this move, I assure you that the restructuring that many Nigerians have so desired has just begun.

These are my reasons for the honest clamor for this autonomy.
1. Local government councils are closer to the grassroots as I have earlier stated, and it is only when they have become self-governing and Autonomous that Nigeria and Nigerians will enjoy the true dividends of democracy.
2. The will of the people will be well respected and a better understanding of how a good governance in democracy should work will be clearly quantified.
3. The funds that have been generated by the LGCs will be properly utilized by them for the benefit of the grassroots people
4. It will pave a way for the lawmakers to provide checks and balances in the constitution whereby the funds that have been allocated to the Local governments across the country from the federation accounts can be properly monitored. By so doing the wanton abuse of office and misappropriation of funds can easily be detected and the criminals can be brought to justice.

Let me take us back to our days of debate in secondary schools; with these points of mine, I hope that the government, the legislators and even the grassroots will be convinced and not confused that the only way to true democracy and restructuring Nigeria today is bringing the grassroots to the fore front of democracy.

BRING BACK OUR TRUE DEMOCRACY!!!

PEACE AMB. AUSTIN MANG GADONG

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Bring Back to the Forefront Our Democracy, Restructuring Begins With the Grassroot – Amb. Austin Mang Gadong