– The decision on local government autonomy in the National Assembly has been ongoing for years
– The president of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Isiwele Shehu said local government autonomy should be allowed to exist
– He expressed gratitude that one of the Edo governorship aspirants promised to make local governments to be autonomous if he becomes the governor
The president of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Isiwele Shehu
A delegate at the 2014 national conference, Isiwele Shehu, has called on state governments to give room for local government autonomy.
Shehu, who is the president of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), said local government autonomy was one of the confab’s recommendations that should not be ignored.
He said that in spite of the impact of local governments’ autonomy on the people at the grassroots, it was being ignored.
“There is a group that is trying to make sure that the 2014 national conference is implemented.
“I am happy that one of the Edo governorship aspirants promised to make local governments to be autonomous if he becomes the governor.
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“I said at the conference that any governor that ruled for eight years and did not allow local governments to exist was not being fair to the people at the grassroots.
” If the federal government would allow states to exist why shouldn’t states allow local governments to exist,’’ he said.
Shehu said that state governors were more interested in creating local government caretaker committees despite the fact that it was not recognised by the constitution.
The president of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), Isiwele Shehu
According to him, if court says caretaker committee is illegal, the governors will change the name to Interior Management Committee.
However, Shehu urged those who were trying to frustrate the implementation of the confab report to desist in view of the importance of the report to national development.
“Some people are also throwing spanners; some pressure groups are saying we wasted tax payers’ money.
“This is the problem we are having. If we believe in continuity, we won’t see abandoned projects.
READ ALSO: Senators Disagree on State Creation, Local Govt Autonomy
“Any government that comes want to start its own. The conference report is now in the hands of God,’’ he said.
On challenges facing the transport sector, the president expressed optimism that the present administration would come up with policies that would reposition the sector.
He commended the proposed introduction of speed limiters on vehicles to check the rate of accidents on the road.
He, however, advised that the policy should cut across all motorists except security vehicles
Recall that seventh Senate voted against the proposal to make local governments independent of their states and refused to grant autonomy to the 774 local government councils in the country, as proposed to the committee for the review of the 1999 constitution,
The Senate’s decision caused an uproar and prompted some Nigerians from the various geo-political zones of the country to express their disappointment by staging a protest online.
The House of Representatives however made several changes to Section 7 of the Constitution by recognising the local government system as a full tier of government, like the federal and state governments.
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