Gov Abdulrazaq Wants Full Autonomy for Local Govts, Says It Reduces Burden on States

Hammed Shittu in Ilorin

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, yesterday said he was  in full support of autonomy for local government areas in Nigeria.

He clarified that the position of the state on the ongoing legal proceedings on local government administration was that the state did not violate any section of the law regarding autonomy.

“It is my personal belief that each local government should manage its resources and be responsible for its obligations, including wages that are first line charges. I also believe that the state governor should not be held liable if any local government is unable to pay salaries since we do not touch a kobo of their money.

“We also do not have any joint project accounts with any local government in the state, as was the case with the previous administration in our state,” the governor said in a statement, signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye.

Stressing that he personally believes that local should be allowed to handle their affairs, the governor admitted that his view may not necessarily align with the letters of the law as currently provided for in the constitution.

“These are my personal beliefs. But my personal belief is not necessarily the same as the letters of the law, including the provisions of the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC), which is a creation of the constitution.

“As of today, local government allocations are sent to the JAAC as required by the law. Section 162 of the constitution is very clear on this.

“As things stand today, no activity of the local government in Kwara State is at variance with these provisions of the law. Our case in the court is not about my personal belief.

“It is, we believe, in the defence of the constitution, which created JAAC for reasons that are well-grounded in our experiences as a people,” he stated.

The Kwara state governor argued that if the current practice must change, then the constitution must be amended to reflect it.

 “JAAC, in summary, pulls resources together to pay all teachers, health workers, traditional rulers, and other statutory duties listed in the schedule of the local government areas. If we all want these to change as a national consensus, we believe that the constitution will have to be amended to expunge JAAC,” the statement added