Senator Olalekan Mustapha, former chairman of the Senate Committee on States and Local Government Administration, has called on state governors to respect the Supreme Court’s ruling on local government autonomy, emphasizing its potential to drive significant national growth.
In an interview with Radio Nigeria, Senator Mustapha argued that autonomy for local governments would foster grassroots development and progress across Nigeria.
“It will allow each local government to develop at its own pace, both infrastructurally and socially. Furthermore, it will enable local governments to legislate and manage their revenue sources, such as market fees and tenement rates, thereby increasing their funds and enhancing their functionality,” he stated.
He also highlighted that autonomy would allow citizens to benefit directly from government and donor-funded scholarships.
As the Chairman of the Board of Governance for the Local Government Summit Group, Mustapha stressed the need for the National Assembly to amend the constitution, granting the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) the authority to conduct elections at the local government level.
“In my view, state electoral bodies are insufficiently effective in electing representatives to local government councils. The constitution should be amended to return the responsibility of conducting third-tier elections to INEC, ensuring greater transparency and fairness,” Senator Mustapha explained.
He further noted that centralizing election coordination under INEC would reduce the financial burden associated with conducting elections.
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