Supreme Court Ruling on LG Autonomy Has Created Confusion –Makinde
The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, says the decision of the Supreme Court on local government autonomy has created confusion in the land.
Governor Makinde at an emergency consultative stakeholders meeting held on Monday, therefore, set up technical and legal committees to review the Supreme Court judgement.
Present at the consultative stakeholders meeting are members of the Oyo State chapter, Association of Local Government Administration (ALGON), Attorney General of the state and Commissioner for Justice, Barrister Abiodun Aikomo, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Otunba Ademola Ojo, and Chairman House of Assembly Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.
Makinde at the meeting held at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office insisted that the problem confronting Nigeria was not how to share money but how to become more productive and create economic prosperity.
Makinde said, “I believe a lacuna has been created between the decision and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We all swore to uphold the constitution but the law is the law. If the law is in conflict, it behoves on us to look for our own home-grown solution that can ensure that we have transparency and operate with our people. This is because when two elephants are fighting, the grass will suffer.
“The Supreme Court just basically said to us that governors don’t have the right to dissolve the councils but why did I dissolve them then?
“It was because elections were held into the LCDAs and the same Supreme Court has basically now said that only 774 LGAs in Nigeria. So, there is confusion in the land, but when you have confusion, what it means is that the structure is shaking and we have to remove much of those confusion as much as possible.
“So, we will be outlining the major challenges we have at the local government areas, so that we can develop our own solution. On the issue of LG elections in Oyo State, we don’t have caretaker committees at the local level. We planned the elections in a way that not a single day was given out. We have a responsible government in Oyo State, we don’t need the federal government to tell us what to do. We know what is good and we know what is good for our people.”…. CLICK HERE TO CONTINUE READING
