As Enoidem urges Local Goverment Chairmen to reside in their secretariat Headquarters
…Makes case for unbundling of Nigeria’s federal system
The National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Mr Emmanuel Enoidem has advocated the reformation of the local government system in Nigeria to deliver effectively on the mandate it was established.
Enoidem who stated this while interacting with More.ng at his country home during the just concluded local government elections in Akwa Ibom State charged governors and the people to prevail on local chairmen to reside in their local government headquarters to ensure the development of the area.
The legal adviser lamented that local governments have failed to deliver on their mandate it was meant for due to the neglect of that tier of government and over concentration on the federal and state governments.
“So I believe that going forward, we need to rejig the local government system in Nigeria so that the people can have the proper benefit of which it was established.
“The local government chairman is supposed to be the chief security officer of the area. What that means is that he should be the first point of call when issue of security is on the table but I don’t think that most of the local government chairmen sleep in their local government area up to ten days before the end of their tenure.
“For me that is the major disconnect between the people and that government and a defect in that system.
“Remember the first formal local government system was established in 1976 though we had Ikot Ekpene local government even before the independent in 1952 as the first demonstrative local government system in Nigeria with the purpose to bring governace closer to the people but that has failed now.
“The problem is that the local government system as we have today are not living up to the expectations of the people.
“I believe that we should come to a point a local government chairman should be force to reside in his local government area. Until we do that we will not have the impact the local government was meant for.
“If they are there, the people will confront them and make their demands .for better governance
“The media too have a lot of work to do to pressurise the local government chairmen and councillors to reside in their local government secretariat. The governor too must see the need to prevail on them to return to the domain and reside there.
“Doing so, I believe will bring impact of governance to the people at the grassroot. The present state of the local government is very very appalling …for instance you pass from a local government secretariat and you see that the grasses have overgrown and the place is operated without electricity.
“There’s no light in the place to the extend that you can pass a local government secretariat without recognising that that is a local government secretariat. So, there is no way the Chairmen will reside there and there’ll be no light in the local government secretariat at least the secret alone.
“In those days when the local government councils were functioning you’ll see roads graded and things working well in ghe area but now nothing is haplening,” he remarks.
Enoidem also commended governor Udom Emmanuel for upholding the tenets of democracy in the state by ensuring a smooth transition from democraticalky elected local government administrator.
The former Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State frowned at the non-participatory of the major opposition party in the state, All Progressive Congress (APC) other political parties in the just concluded local government elections in Akwa Ibom State which according to him has confirmed the saying that PDP is a religion in Akwa Ibom State.
He Called for the unbundling of the federal government to give more powers to the local government administration which is the closest government to the people as he also advocated for greater allocation to be given to the local government chairmen to be able to develop their areas.
Enoidem also called for immediate restructuring of Nigeria to more powers and opportunity to develop the regions, state and regional governments.
