Senator Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North, has made a case for Local Government (LG) autonomy, arguing that it is more beneficial for Nigeria to have 774 LG Chairmen, even if they are “thieves,” than one Governor or President siphoning the money......Read The Full Article>>.....Read The Full Article>>
Speaking at a forum on LG autonomy organized by the House of Representatives Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution, Oshiomhole emphasized the importance of character in governance and accountability.
“The issue we have to address is about character. Whether money allocated to local government chairmen is stolen or shared with other non-state actors and abused regulations, what will change?” he asked.
Oshiomhole, who expressed his support for the autonomy, believes that whoever has power must account for it at whatever level.
“I am completely for local government autonomy. I also believe that whoever has power must account for it at whatever level,” he said.
In his argument against the notion that LG autonomy might lead to financial misappropriation at the grassroots level, Oshiomhole said, “It’s better to have 774 thieves, with each local government producing one or two billionaires, than to have one big one taking everything.”
He also expressed hope that the National Assembly would review the legal framework to make it easier to punish chairmen who abuse their power.
“I hope that God will give the national assembly the wisdom to review the legal framework such that it is easier to punish a local government chairman than the governor who is in office, and you have to wait for eight years (to punish him),” he said.
