Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review and Deputy Speaker, Hon Emeka Ihedioha explained yesterday that the House endorsed the autonomy of the Local Council to ensure its independence
and for it to perform truly as a tier of government.
He noted that the House voted to give the Local Council full financial, administrative, executive and legislative autonomy, abolishing the State Joint Local Government Account to strengthen the third tier of government, make it more democratic and to enhance its service delivery.
According to him, by endorsing autonomy for the Local Council, “ the House has succeeded in making the Local Council, a tier of government ; denying undemocratically elected Council chairmen of any revenue allocation from the Federation Account”.
Noting that there were pressures on members to vote against people’s inputs expressed during the public hearings held across the 360 constituencies he stated that members shunned such entreaties and voted in accordance with the wishes of the people.
He states: “House lived up to its billings as a House of the Nigerian people by voting overwhelmingly on the side of their constituents, shunning pressures mounted on them by powerful interested parties to vote otherwise”, he said.
Ihedioha stated that in order to check the excesses that might arise from the introduction of Local Council autonomy an independent auditor-general of Local Government Councils of a state was provided for.
He described as revolutionary the House decision to grant every citizen of Nigeria the right to free basic education, to favourable environment, free primary and maternal health care services and right to basic housing.
He said that House’s decision to remove criminal immunity from President, Vice President, Governors and Deputy Governors was undertaken in line with the position of the constituents made known during the people’s public hearings across the constituencies.
House: Deputy Speaker Explains Constitution Review Passage
Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review and Deputy Speaker, Hon Emeka Ihedioha explained yesterday that the House
endorsed the autonomy of the Local Council to ensure its independence
and for it to perform truly as a tier of government.
He noted that the House voted to give the Local Council full financial, administrative, executive and legislative autonomy, abolishing the State Joint Local Government Account to strengthen the third tier of government, make it more democratic and to enhance its service delivery.
According to him, by endorsing autonomy for the Local Council, “ the House has succeeded in making the Local Council, a tier of government ; denying undemocratically elected Council chairmen of any revenue allocation from the Federation Account”.
Noting that there were pressures on members to vote against people’s inputs expressed during the public hearings held across the 360 constituencies he stated that members shunned such entreaties and voted in accordance with the wishes of the people.
He states: “House lived up to its billings as a House of the Nigerian people by voting overwhelmingly on the side of their constituents, shunning pressures mounted on them by powerful interested parties to vote otherwise”, he said.
Ihedioha stated that in order to check the excesses that might arise from the introduction of Local Council autonomy an independent auditor-general of Local Government Councils of a state was provided for.
He described as revolutionary the House decision to grant every citizen of Nigeria the right to free basic education, to favourable environment, free primary and maternal health care services and right to basic housing.
He said that House’s decision to remove criminal immunity from President, Vice President, Governors and Deputy Governors was undertaken in line with the position of the constituents made known during the people’s public hearings across the constituencies.