TOWARDS AN EFFICIENT THIRD-TIER GOVERNMENT
PROFFERING SOLUTIONS
There are those who believe that the current constitution need to be thrown into the dustbin of history but I say that, what we need is not to kill the baby but put life to it through a comprehensive surgical operation. Our legislators at both federal and state houses of assemblies since 1999 have failed the nation having found it impossible to amend the fundamental aspect of the current constitution in a manner that we engender development, trust, equity and fairness. Therefore, as the new dispensation set to begin, there must be an executive/legislative agenda in this regard particularly in the administration of local government.
On no account should we allow an administrator in our local government councils to spend more than 6 months as the constitution does not envisage this but an elected representative. Therefore, the Community Development Associations (CDAs) must be properly constituted to give impetus to community engagement at the local government levels. In a nation where you and I do not know our chairman or any of the counsellors in the local government where we live in will make engagement difficult. We need to be interested in the activity that goes on at this level of government for it to act on our yearnings and concerns.
Similarly, the state governors and their legislators must exercise restrain by following the lay down constitutional provisions in the disbursement of local government fund. The paucity of funding at the local government has made it impossible for it to discharge the expected responsibility aside of payment of salary bill in some cases and failure to pay in other cases. There are even instances in the past where local government funds are shared amongst prominent individuals in each state after or without payment of salary. All this must stop.
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