NULGE wants State Assembly to approve LG autonomy bill

The Nigeria Union of Local government employees in Ekiti state have expressed deep concern over the delay in the passage of the local government autonomy bill by state houses of Assembly in the country.

This development the union described as an attestation to the fact that the present leadership in the country did not truly love people at the grassroots as professed.

In a statement in Ado Ekiti President of the union comrade Bunmi Ajimoko explained local government autonomy remains a veritable means to address the various social and economic challenges facing the society owing to its closeness to the people.

According to him, if government grants autonomy to local governments the issue of insecurity and ethnic crisis would become a thing of the past as the grassroots remained the first line of defence in any society.

The NULGE president appealed to the thirty four houses of assembly to join Benue and cross Rivers in giving legal backing to the demands of the grassroots constituencies through the support for local government autonomy bill.

He stressed the need for the assemblies to hold public hearings in order to confirm the dispositions of Nigerians to the proposed autonomy.

The labour leader argued that the agitation was not actually about the unions operating at the local government level but essentially about overall grassroots development.

On the controversy trailing the issue of devolution, NULGE boss said that every political system in the world was tilting towards making the grassroots stronger and supported the idea of devolving powers to states and local governments.

He claimed that the centre was too powerful, both in resources and administration and it was finding it extremely difficult to effectively reach out to majority of Nigerians who reside at the grassroot.

Gbenga Sodeinde, Ado Ekiti