Local Government Autonomy Necessary – Isiaka Salami
Former Chairman of Kajola Local Government and Oyo State APC Chieftain Alhaji Hon Isiaka Lekan Salami popularly known as Obe has hinted that Local Government Autonomy should be granted by the administration of President Bola Tinubu as Nigeria as a federation is supposed to operate three tiers of government.
He said this while speaking with our Managing Editor Salau Basiru Taiwo recently.Alhaji Salami requested that local government should be made the third tier of government with full autonomy from the state.While explaining the need for the local government to be autonomous,he said they are being cheated by the state governments as not all allocations sent by the Federal Ministry of Finance were released to the local governments.
He expressed dissatisfaction with a situation whereby the governors have become economic buccaneers in handling local government fund.Obe as he was fondly called reiterated that according to the constitution, Five percent of the local government allocation should be posted to the traditional account in which 5 percent of nowadays allocation could not help the situation on ground.He further said that local government autonomy will curb the problems of poverty and unemployment which he said is the key factor to security challenges in the country.
The APC leader said if the autonomy is granted, local government should be able to deliver dividends of democracy as expected of them in terms of road rehabilitation, school building, construction,provision of infrastructure and welfare of the public would be monitored when there is enough fund to cater for all these.
The Community Leader also said that apart from these, anybody could check the chairman and ask him or direct him in a way that would better the lot of people.He noted that autonomy is the only way to take development to the grassroots.
He added that Okeho the headquarter of Kajola Local Government and it’s environs would have been developed more than it is in every area if the autonomy has been granted.