By Polycarp Onwubiko
Time to put a halt in groping
in the dark and muddles about local government Administration has come. It is
insanity and plain craziness to be doing the same thing and expecting different
results. Science goes by scientific principles; and in social and management
sciences, the same trajectory follow.
When you violate principles of
science, the expected outcome will surely be distorted. The rot in Nigeria
which started from the bastardization of the principles of federal system of
government in the First Republic by the “Fulani feudal oligarchy" has
created monstrous distortions in the trajectory of federal system of government
as obtained in sane and sanitized Federations the world over.
In my previous write-ups on
FEDERALISM and the imperative of Restructuring the lopsided, dysfunctional and
fundamentally fraudulent and deeply flawed Nigeria Federation leaving Nigeria
with "Unitary-Federal contraption backed up with a contraption referred to
as the 1999 constitution, I have made copious explanations on the duplicity of
the military autocrats to make local government Administration a THIRD TIER OF
GOVERNMENT.
This is one of the critical
reasons for the nationwide clarion calls for the immediate Restructuring of the
lopsided Federation. The 2014 National Conference convoked by president Good
luck Jonathan merely scratched the Restructuring of the country on the face
ostensibly to please the "Fulani feudal oligarchy" who hold the
entire country on the jugular.
After the brazen faced fraud in
making local government councils a tier of federal with share of monthly
Statutory allocation, a group of people hurriedly and deftly took undue
advantage of freedom of association in the constitution and crafted a
contraption referred to as "Association of local government of Nigeria,
ALGON. Trust the ever metastasizing and endemic corruption in Nigeria, the
people rushed and registered the dubious body with the Corporate Affairs
Commission, CAC, Abuja and forced the elected chairmen of local government
councils in Nigeria to register as members.
Next thing was a dubious step
was to compel the local government councils to be sending certain amount of
local government monthly statutory allocation to ALGON for supposed running of
the dubious body and Nigerians kept sealed lips. The executive of ALGON started
"reaping where they did not sow", as it were. Deftly mesmerizing the
local government workers, ALGON chieftains enlisted the feeble minded executive
of NULGE (National Union of local government employees) on a jolly ride to milk
the public funds meant for the socio growth and development of local government
areas that yearn for attention in basic amenities and infrastructures.
Being unfazed with the
nationwide criticism of the profligacy of the Executives of ALGON, in 1999, the
ALGON chieftains purchased over hundreds of brand Toyota Jeeps and gifted to
top Executives of the body and the state Governors ostensibly to close their
eyes on the monthly deductions in the local government councils funds to fund
the lecherous appetite of the ALGON chieftains. In fact they were making ducks
and drakes with the local government council’s resources and wallowing in
obscene opulence. ALGON chieftains claimed to be championing the welfare of
local government councils employees and fighting for the so-called "local
government administrative and financial autonomy" pretending not to know
that fraud in making local government councils a tier of government by the
rapacious military jackboots.
The ALGON chieftains, let me
say that they were unschooled on the fundamentals of the two systems of
government viz: Federal system of government and Unitary system of government.
In Federations the world over, there nothing like autonomy of local government
council; rather the State Governments (or Regional Governments like the First
Republic in Nigeria where it was referred to as "Divisional Administrative
Department, DAD) had local administration created, funded and controlled by the
State Governments like US, Canada, Australia, etc.
This brazen bastardization of
local government councils should stop under president Tinubu administration if
he wants to reinvent his federalist posturing he was known when he was the
Governor of Lagos state. He cannot afford to jettison the legacy of his
footsteps in fighting for True Federalism now that he has achieved his life's
ambition to be president of Nigeria. It is very sad to hear his recent
pronouncement on postponing Restructuring the Federation so that other sections
of the country will have national and mineral resources to stand on their own.
This is fallacious and plain deception ostensibly to maintain the alleged
"understanding between him and the Northern Moslems that helped him to
become president", recall that the former Governor of Kaduna and, El Rufai
said that northern Moslems facilitated Tinubu's ascension to Aso Villa, Abuja.
By Tinubu's recent position on
Restructuring the Federation, it is uncertain that state police will be
feasible in his tenure because deft strategy and calculations will come in to
delay the state police advocacy. Fact remains that both state police and Restructuring
are better implemented by a National Conference of selected representatives of
ethnic nationalities to fashion PEOPLE'S CONSTITUTION because the 1999
Constitution mediated by the military autocrats and preposterously being
described as "As amended", should never be regarded as true
Constitution of a heterogeneous society where the constitution is made by the
selected representatives of ethnic nationalities.
In other words, president
Tinubu should not believe that he, along with the Governors will gift Nigerians
the much craved after State Police in addition to Restructuring of the lopsided
Federation for equity, fairness and justice in the distribution of the
Commonwealth. It is trite to say that the multifarious challenges facing the
country revolve around the pseudo federal practice imposed by the military
autocrats. Restructuring is the fulcrum around which the multi-dimensional
challenges ravaging the country revolves, the earlier it is done the better for
the country's meaningful socioeconomic and political growth and development.
By Polycarp Onwubiko, media
commentator writes from Awka Anambra State.
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