The chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Odunayo Alegbere, has shed light on the reasons behind the delays in direct disbursement of allocations to local government councils.
Mr Alegbere attributed these delays to bureaucratic bottlenecks. He noted that local government authorities have been instructed to open accounts with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to facilitate the implementation of the Supreme Court judgement.
He stated that direct allocation would significantly help alleviate poverty at the grassroots level by granting local governments greater control over their finances and projects.
While acknowledging that the journey towards full financial autonomy is ongoing, Mr Alegbere affirmed that steady progress is being made.
“If you observe the grassroots level, the extent of abject poverty is alarming. However, with this new arrangement, we are confident that we will eradicate and eliminate poverty,” he remarked.
He also criticised the current system in which state governments oversee local government elections, arguing that it often leads to selections rather than genuine democratic processes. However, he assured that ongoing constitutional amendments by the National Assembly would soon address this concern.
“We are pleased with the president’s efforts, and although we have not yet achieved our goal, we are making steady progress,” he stated.
Mr Alegbere also advocated for the removal of the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) from the constitution, proposing its replacement with a national body to oversee local government elections, thus ensuring a fairer process.
Moreover, he linked Nigeria’s rising insecurity to the failure of the local government system, arguing that restoring local governments’ autonomy and incorporating traditional institutions into governance would greatly enhance security efforts.
“Unless we revisit the older system, addressing insecurity will remain a challenge,” he stressed.
He urged the government to integrate traditional rulers into the local government framework to bolster grassroots security.
