The Coalition of Associations for Leadership, Peace, Empowerment and Development (CALPED) has called for local government autonomy to stimulate rural economy and development.
The NGO made the call on Thursday, while presenting a memorandum at the ongoing Constitutional Review Zonal hearing in Kaduna.
The coalition’s Head, Gender and Social Inclusion, Mr Steven Waya, who made the submission, said that stimulating local government autonomy would avert the pending social disaster due to rising insecurity and poverty.
He described the public hearing as a rare opportunity to strengthen the local government administration by granting full political and financial autonomy to the third tier of government.
According to him, this will also enable inclusive development and growth through strengthening local government systems.
Waya also called for the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to abolish the power of State governors to appoint Caretaker Committees for Local Government Areas (LGAs).
He said that only democratically elected chairmen and councilors should govern LGAs, adding that the federal allocation should also be remitted directly to democratically elected councils.
Waya called for the abrogation of the powers of the State Houses of Assembly to appropriate local government budgets and provide for such powers to the legislative councils.
He also proposed that the amendment should provide uniform tenure of four years with a maximum of two terms for local government chairmen and councilors.
“The amendment should abolish the powers of the State Houses of Assembly to make laws that compel local governments to remit funds to the state government.
“Local government areas should also be empowered to have greater control over their revenue generation and abrogate the State Joint Account Allocation Committee.
“The amendment should equally establish an independent electoral body to conduct and oversee elections and related matters of the local government councils in the country.
“This will ensure that elections are held when due against the current backdrop where state governments have been inconsistent in conducting local government elections,’’ he said.
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