Kwara NULGE Knocks AbdulRazaq, Lawmakers over Failure to Pass LG Autonomy Bill

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Local government workers in Kwara State under the aegis of the Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) have knocked the state Governor, Alhaji AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, and the members of  state House of Assembly over their continue delay in the passage of the bill  granting local government financial autonomy, into law in the state.

The union, however, advised that it was high time the state government took a cue from other states like Abia, Delta and Kogi that have passed the  bill on financial autonomy into law.

Speaking with journalists in Ilorin yesterday, the state President of the

NULGE, Oyinlade Seun Adeleye, however, urged the state government and House of Assembly to speed up process required to have financial autonomy in the local government councils in the state.

Adeleye also called on the state governor to break his silence on the issue, saying Kwara State should align itself with states that had passed the bill granting local government financial autonomy like Abia, Delta and Kogi.

The local government workers, who vowed to use their voters’ cards in the coming general election against any lawmaker that opposes the local government autonomy in the state, advised state legislators to go beyond advocating, “but actually vote for local government financial autonomy.

“We’ll not be violent in our vigorous agitation, but we are going to fight with our voters’ cards. What we’re going to tell our people is that any member of the state House of Assembly who voted against local government autonomy, our people would vote him or her out of office.

“We will not vote for them. And we’re ready for any party that’s ready to embrace the local government autonomy. That is, we’re going to instruct our people to vote for such a party. We all belong to wards, polling booths and different communities in the state. We’ll mobilise to achieve our desired success.”

Adeleye, who described local government autonomy as catalyst for grassroots development, said financial autonomy in the council areas would help tackle such challenges as food security or prevalent insurgency.

He said: “We also wish to use this opportunity to call on the governor to break his long silence on the vexed issue of local government autonomy.

“Our governor must rise and invest in the trust of the Kwarans majority to write his name in gold by aligning himself with true democrats and progressives.”