Senator Kawu Sumaila has called on state governors to cease their alleged obstruction of efforts to grant full autonomy to local governments in Nigeria.
The lawmaker, representing Kano South Senatorial District, issued the warning during the North-West Zonal Public Hearing organised by the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution. He accused state governments of deliberately undermining local councils by withholding their allocations and rendering them financially dependent.
“State governors are determined to maintain control over local governments by strangling their funds and reducing them to beggars. This must stop,” Sumaila stated. He expressed frustration over what he described as persistent interference by state authorities in local government affairs, emphasising the need to liberate the third tier of government from such dominance.
The senator commended President Bola Tinubu for supporting the local government autonomy bill he sponsored and for taking the matter to the Supreme Court to seek a definitive ruling in favour of the 774 local government areas across the country.
He also acknowledged the efforts of civil society organisations and the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in advocating for the independence of local governments.
“We cannot allow state actors to continue blocking local government autonomy. We must use all legal and constitutional means to ensure this becomes a reality,” Sumaila insisted.
He was part of a delegation that included local government union leaders who presented a draft bill to the Senate Constitution Review Committee.
Sumaila praised the committee, chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, for holding the public hearing in Kano, noting that it was a crucial step in engaging citizens in the constitutional review process.
The event provided a platform for stakeholders to voice their concerns and push for reforms that would strengthen governance at the grassroots level.
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cc: Daily Post Ng
