NULGE President General Blames Nigerian Governors For Underdevelopment At 774 LGA’s

By Joseph Sunday 

The President General of the Nigeria Union Of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Comrade Ambali Akeem Olatunji has come heavily on the Nigerian Governors, blaming them for the many years of underdevelopment at the 774 third tier of government in the Country, and urging them to stop hijacking the Federal Government’s allocations to the local government areas, revenue collections, land use charges, advertisement rates as well as all the motor parks and garages in the local government areas of the Country. 

He also commended and backed the decision of the Federal Government to institute a court case through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi challenging the Nigerian Governors on the issue of the local government autonomy. 

Comrade Ambali sends his strong message to the Nigerian Governors while fielding questions from Treasure Newspaper on Saturday, hailing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu bold steps and passion to end the era of impunity and lawlessness on the path of the State Governors who for years has cornered the Federal Allocations to the local government areas. 

Ambali who also doubles as the National Treasurer of the Nigeria Labour Congress, recalled how the battle and agitations for the local government autonomy commenced about seven years ago.

He labelled the Governor’s as the actors  responsible for a non – functional local government system, which ought to have helped in driving development at the grassroots for the Country to witness tremendous growth. 

According to him, he said, “the massive and wide insecurity in the land, the increase in poverty, food insecurity, unemployment and joblessness greatly contributed to the decrease in the rural GDP” in the local government areas of the Country. 

He went on to describe President Tinubu as a man who walks his talks. He also praised others such as the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; Chief Awomolo, SAN; the Oyo State Speaker of House of Assembly who double as the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers and some members of the National Assembly members who made their valuable contributions during the recently held Stakeholders Summit in Abuja courtesy of the National leadership of NULGE. 

Speaking further, Ambali revealed that “the local government system is the foundational government. Without having a strong foundation, the building cannot stand. State Government is like the wall while the Federal is the roof. The roof connects with the rain and sends the rain down through the wall and then through the soil to the foundation. 

“Identifying the problem, Ambali painted the scenario of what has been happening to the local government administration in the Country, stating that when rain continues falling, and passing through the roof, to do what is needful, it is at the wall level that the rain is entrapped and that is why the foundation is dry and the rain will not fall”. 

Also, he appreciated President Tinubu for deeming it fit since assumption of office one year ago, for continuously increasing the revenue of the Country as well as the federal allocations to the local governments in the Country. 

He described as uncalled for, a situation where, despite President Tinubu increase of the allocations to the 774 local government areas to over 150%, the effect of the increment are still not felt owing to the fact that the State Actors – Governor’s have continue to misapplied, misappropriate, divert and stole the local government funds using the instrumentality of law to legislate against the constitution and the efforts of President Tinubu in reference to Schedule 4. 

He faulted the decisions of State Governments to be the ones controlling motor parks and garages, collecting revenues, advertisement rates and land use charges instead of the local government areas. He also opposed the idea of State Governments collecting internally generated revenues, IGR for the local government areas using private agencies.

Ambali also advised the State Governments to stop diverting the local government federal allocations and stop the habit of ceasing the IGR meant for development at the local government levels. 

He also pointed out as illegal and unconstitutional the decision of State Governments to abandon it’s roles of funding the primary education systems in the hands of the local government areas despite deliberately starving them of their Federal allocations usually released to them by the Federal Government to develop their locality. 

In respect of the suit instituted by the Federal Government against the Nigerian Governors, Ambali revealed that even though NULGE will not join in the suit based on the advise of the AGF, the union will always be in court from June 13th, 2024 when trial will commence to show their solidarity with the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s led administration over the issue of the local government autonomy along with the Ajaero led NLC leadership. 

He used the opportunity to make it public that the NULGE will soon have the National Day of Prayer in respect of the court suit instituted by the federal government against the Nigerian Governors. “Apart from that, there will a State level rallies before the National Rally comes up in Abuja and this is to take place before the court trial ends”.

He lamented that if care is not taken, the Country is fast drifting. He pleaded with Nigerians to come together and unite to prevent the Country from further drifting. 

He counselled the local government areas and the communities throughout the Country to bring back the era when security committees comprising of security outfits like the Vigilantes, the local hunters are properly recruited and kitted to work with the DPO’s, the Directors of SSS, Traditional Rulers, Baale’s and the political functionaries which would be constituted to help in the gathering of intelligence reports for proactiveness at local levels with the aim of tackling insecurity headlong. 

“President Tinubu has increased the revenue to the State and local governments but he has not really seen the impact and that is what prompted him to tell the National Assembly members when he visited them recently to go to their respective States and talk to their Governor’s, that it is time to free the local government areas.  

“The passion with which President Tinubu is addressing the issue shows that the Federal Government is supporting the local government autonomy. 

In his submission, Ambali revealed that the only way out of poverty, insecurity and destructions in the Country is for the State Governors to hand off the local government allocations to return Nigeria to the path of progress and development. He added that the time to actualize the local government autonomy idea is now thereby making Nigeria work. “When the local government is fixed, Nigeria will be fixed”.