From Ifeoma Ejiofor
Anambra State based political scientist and a social commentator, Comrade Elvis Okolie has described the Anambra State Local Government Administration Bill recently signed into law by Gov Charles Soludo as a deliberate attempt to twist the Supreme Court judgement on the local government autonomy.
Comrade Okolie, who was speaking with journalists recently said that the bill was meant to truncate local government autonomy in the state, so to take control of monies meant for LGAs from the federation account.
He noted that the Supreme Court judgement on LGA autonomy has become a law even as he expressed shock that Anambra State legislative arm accepted to be used by accepting a bill that runs contrary to the Apex Court’s judgement.
“I just hope that the members of Anambra State House of Assembly know what they are doing, because they are not disconnected from the National Assembly, they are not authorized to make that is at variance with the laws made by the National Assembly,” Okolie pointed out.
He said that trying to twist the Supreme Court’s judgement is a temporary measure that will not stand the test of time noting that the whole thing is going to end in the court of law.
Comrade Okolie said as a matter of fact that a country cannot have laws that are operating at variance with those ones at the component states.
“Because of high level of insecurity, there is rural-urban migration as a result, the LGAs have become shadows of themselves in Anambra State in particular and Nigeria in general,” Comrade Okolie said.
He pointed out that if the money meant for the the local government areas are judiciously used, people will be meaningfully engaged, noting that youths in council areas will not engage themselves in criminal activities.
Comrade Okolie, who is also a union activist opined that it is a wrong assumption to say that all the local government chairmen will misuse the funds meant for their LGAs noting that some of council chairmen have the capacity to govern the state, if given the opportunity.
He argued that a persons at the state and presidential levels can also mismanage the state funds if enough checks and balances are not put in place.
Comrade Okolie stressed the need for devolution of power from the federal level for the nation to move forward as he advocated Independence of each level without any of the levels breathing down the neck of other.