The Senate has been commended for its
proposal to scrap the State Local
Government Joint Account when amending
the 1999 Constitution.
The commendation was given by the
President of the Ebonyi State Chapter of the
Nigerian Union of Local Government
Employees, NULGE, Leonard Nkah, on Sunday
in Abuja in an interview with the News
Agency of Nigeria, NAN.
Nkah was reacting to the Senate’s
endorsement of the scrapping of the joint
account in the proposed constitution review.
The Brief reports that the House of
Representatives had earlier endorsed the
scrapping of the joint account in the
proposed constitution amendment.
The Deputy Senate President, Ike
Ekweremadu, who head the Senate
Committee on Constitution Review, had said
that the joint account was abolished to
ensure effective service delivery.
He also said the abolition was to “rescue
local governments from strangulation by
state governors.”
Ekweremadu also said that Section 7 of the
proposed amendment provided for a uniform
of three-year tenure.
The section also provides that, “Local
government without a democratically elected
council shall not be entitled to revenue from
Federation Account”
Nkah said that the Senate’s position was
commendable, adding that the National
Assembly, since 2003, had not disappointed
on the issue of local government autonomy.
He noted that the local government system
was emasculated after 2003, with governors
opposed to granting of autonomy to the local
governments.
Nkah said that the Independent National
Electoral Commission, INEC, should also be
allowed to conduct local government
election.
He appealed to state houses of assembly to
support the proposed amendment to scrap
the joint account, adding that an efficient and
functional local government system would
boost development at the grassroots.
Nkah also appealed to Ebonyi Governor, Dave
Umahi, to ensure prompt payment of salaries
of local government workers.
He regretted that local government workers
were now the last to be paid month salaries.
“Even primary school teachers whose salaries
are paid from local government funds are
paid before local government workers,” he
said.
He also appealed to Umahi to ensure
humaneness in the handling of the salary
issue.
“Our governor is doing well, but I appeal to
him to ensure that local government workers
are paid alongside other state workers,” Nkah
pleaded.
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