ABUJA - The House of Representatives says government transformational drive would fail if due attention is not paid to rural development and resolved to meet state executive governors to address lapses in local government administration.
The House listed the ongoing reforms in the various sectors of the nation’s economy, the 7-Point Agenda as well as the Vision 2020 of the President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as the massive transformational strides to bring development to all tiers of government, especially the local government areas.
Their position is also coming on the heels of Speaker Dimeji’ Bankole’s directive to local government councillors to recover unspent funds at the 3rd tier.
They are to parley with the states Chief Executive Officers over the need for uniformity of tenure of local government , the protracted joint accounts and autonomy of local governments issue, Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on States and Local Government Affairs, Emmanuel Adedeji stated in Abuja.
The Speaker said in a remark at the “2009 Best Local Government Chairmanship Award” that the councilors should intensify oversight activities in budget tracking by ensuring that unspent funds of the councils put at several billions of naira are recovered.
Bankole noted that it is their mandate as local government legislatures to monitor and assess policy implementation outcomes such that the local government chairmen and other officials of the councils are held accountable for any financial misdeed.
He said “that the local government legislative assemblies must be supported to undertake their responsibilities in holding the local government chairmen and other officials of the councils to account not just in the implementation of the 7-Point Agenda but also in all other areas of rural development for which they have the mandate.
According to him, “local government legislators must also consciously intensify their oversight activities in budget tracking, monitoring, and assessment of policy implementation outcomes”.
He added: “ that as a way of correcting mistakes of the past and underscoring the need for good governance , councillors must strive to recover unspent funds at the local government level” and “enjoined all of them across the country ‘to redefine their commitment to anti-corruption instrumentalities as a way of building the confidence of the masses in democratic governance”.
However, Honourable Adedeji stated weekend in Abuja during the “ National Best Local Government Award 2009’ ceremony that it was proposing a conference of local government stakeholders where it will join issue with state governors on the need to have a smooth and unimpeded framework that will guarantee effective governance at the 3rd tier of government.
Besides the governors, Adedeji stated that, experts in local government administration as well as past and present local government administrators are to meet in the parley to deliberate and agree on a uniform tenure of local government, fiscal and political autonomy by having a local government special and separate account as well as absolute financial independence and autonomy of the local government.
Adedeji disclosed that “the committee will in due course meet with the leadership of the House to seek approval for a conference of stakeholders, (governors, experts and local government administrators), etc. to deliberate and agree on the way forward for the local government administration in Nigeria’ as he called on all the 774 LGCs to collaborate with his committee to achieve the course.
He said that the best performed local government award is a performance award to local government chairmen who have distinguished themselves with measurable track record of achievements, distinct leadership qualities as well as innovations and creativity in the management of their local government areas.
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