By Olubunmi Omoogun – The Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has added its voice to the clamour for the provision of quantum of funds for local governments towards rural development, improvement of socio-economic living conditions of the rural populace and provide adequate infrastructure to the grassroots.
The RMAFC Chairman, Mr. Mohammed Bello Shehu stated that the local governments are the third tier of government domesticated at the grassroots level ought to be outside the control of State and Federal governments as they are solely established to ensure effective governance at the grassroots. The Constitution of Nigeria recognizes federal, states, and local governments as three tiers of government and that the three recognized tiers of government draw funds for their operation and function from the Federation Account created by the Constitution.
While advocating for full autonomy for Local Government Councils (“LGCs”) in the country, he noted that the Federal Government must intensify its on-going efforts to free Local Government Councils from the firm control of State Governments through legal means by giving effect to the provisions of the Constitution.
Mr. Shehu who feels that the third tier should be treated fairly said, “Full autonomy will engender good governance, transparency and accountability at the local level. Security challenges like banditry, kidnappings, terrorism, electoral violence, etc, would be reduced to the barest minimum if the quantum of funds meant for local governments is channelled towards rural development.”
The RMAFC top brass frowned at State governments’ dominance over the affairs of Local Government Councils, which emasculate their political, administrative, and fiscal independence hence their inability to provide quality service delivery in the area of infrastructure and social services to the grassroots as provided for in the Constitution.
He said that the political control of Local Government Councils has made it virtually difficult and almost impossible for the masses to decide who become their leaders at that level of governance, which is closest to the people.
The statement according to the Head, Information and Public Relations of RMAFC, Maryam Umar Yusuf reveals that the Commission is of the opinion that giving full autonomy to Local Government Councils will reduce the rate of poverty and rural urban migration, and bring more dividends of democracy to the people just as it will attract more qualified candidates for council elections that will improve governance system at all levels in the long run.
Emphasizing the need to strengthen the capacity of the Local Government Councils, Mr. Shehu said, “This will raise agricultural productivity, increase income generation, arrest rural-urban migration, create wealth and generally improve the socio-economic living conditions of the rural populace”.
In tackling insecurity, the Chairman stressed that the current spate of insecurity in all parts of the country could be arrested if Local Government Councils are granted full autonomy as local government administration being the closest level of government for effective participation of the teeming population of the country in its governance system would avail the local population greater independence to determine their development needs.
Mr. Shehu further highlighted that full autonomy to Local Government Councils will allow the third tier of government to recruit, manage staff, raise finances, make bye-laws and discharge their functions without State government interference, thereby ensuring their full bureaucratic autonomy.
“Financial autonomy of local government entails the freedom to impose local taxation, generate revenue within its assigned sources, allocate its financial and material resources, determine and authorize its annual budgets without external interference. It also relates to the disposition of tax powers, retention of revenue and methods adopted in sharing centrally collected revenue in accordance with the constitutional responsibilities of all levels of government”.
The Chairman further said, “it is worth noting that the Constitution has made it explicitly clear that there must be a democratically elected local government system in place and that the Constitution has not made provisions for any other systems of governance at the Local Government level other than democratically elected local government system”
It is the position of the RMAFC that Local Governments should be granted fiscal autonomy by paying statutory allocations from the Federation Account directly to their coffers.
The Commission therefore fully supports the on-going suit instituted by the Federal Government asking for an order permitting the funds standing in the credits of local governments to be directly channelled to them from the Federation Account.
He stressed that RMAFC would continue to be a strategic partner in the efforts to reposition local government councils to discharge their constitutional responsibilities in Nigeria, calling on Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the media to be at the forefront of efforts to ensure that local government autonomy becomes a reality in Nigeria.
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