Aregbesola replies Dogara, says LGS are under control of states
The Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, has said that local governments are absolutely under the control and ambit of the states.
He insisted that the only organ of the state empowered by the constitution to make laws for the local government is the state parliament.
Recall that Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has recently said that governors were using local government federal allocations as slush funds, promising a constitutional amendment to rectify what he said is an anomaly.
But Aregbesola described the belief gaining grounds that local governments in Nigeria should be independence of state governments “as totally strange and anti-federalism”.
Aregbesola stated these both at the courtesy visit and conferment of Nwannedinamba Ndigbo of State of Osun and Ezinne Ndigbo of State of Osun on him and First Lady respectively by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, State of Osun Chapter in Partnership with the Association of Ndi Ezeigbo N’uzo Ije (Diaspora) and the South East Council of Traditional Rulers at the 2016 Igbo Cultural Festival Tagged: Ode N’Igbo 2016 at Nelson Mandela Freedom Park in Osogbo.
He noted that there are only two tiers of government in a federal system of government, namely the Federal government and the government at the federating level.
Aregbesola stressed that it was awkward for Nigeria to be the only federation in the world where there is only one police system.
He noted it was also strange for the federal government and the constitution not to allow for police in the federating units of the country.
The Governor held that the problems with local government administration in the country could be corrected within the laws of the states in Nigeria.
He said, “Nigeria is not just a Republic, but a Federal Republic, a federal state is where every distinction of nationality is recognised, respected and honoured. None of the units of the Federation is therefore superior to the other. Every of the units are empowered by law to administer themselves under the general guideline of the constitution.
“Few things are awkward about federalism in Nigeria, Nigeria is the only Federating Nation in the world where there is only one Police system. Nigeria’s federation is strange to the extent that only one police force maintains law and order.
“In other federations, there will be federal police force and other federating unit police. Nigerian nationality and people must seek to correct this abnormality.
“Another anomaly that people, because of their frustration to some aspect of administration, are equally making mistake on and need correction is that a federation has two tiers of government. There cannot be three tiers in a federation. The moment you have three tiers, you no longer have a federation.”
Aregbesola emphasised that it was not by assaulting the fundamental principle of federalism that the challenges and weakness being faced by the administration of local governments could be corrected.
The Governor enjoined the Igbo community to join in the debate of whether the nation wants federalism or unitary system of government.
He added, “We can be who we are without rancour and doing away with what can bring rancour. We should recognise our differences and avoid hurting one another.
“What will clearly eliminate the hate, the sharp clarity is having good government that will work hard to expand opportunities such that it is not your ethnicity that will determine your benefit, but your citizenship and your commitment to your work.”
High Chief John Emeka who led the traditional Igbo title holders in the South-West region, commended Governor Aregbesola for his leadership style, stating that they have been monitoring the progress of the state before they decided to bestow on him the Igbo title.
He said, “it is not by accident that we are honouring Mr. Governor and the wife with the conferement of Nwannedinamba Ndigbo of State of Osun and Ezinne Ndigbo of State of Osun respectively by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo.
“I want to use this occasion to call on all and sundry in the state to support the Governor by paying all levies and taxes in his effort to transform Osun to a state where we will all be proud of within the South-West and Nigeria as a whole.”
