14Jul, 24
- Temidayo Taiwo-Sidiq
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The House of Representatives has reaffirmed its commitment to local government reforms, a key priority of the 10th Assembly.
House Spokesman and Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Rep. Akin Rotimi Jr., reiterated this during an interview on Arise TV's The Morning Show.
While acknowledging the Supreme Court's recent judgment on local government autonomy, Rep. Rotimi noted that he had not yet studied the ruling in detail. However, he emphasised that the 10th House of Representatives has made local government autonomy a key objective in its Legislative Agenda, launched in October 2023.
As a member of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Rep. Rotimi further highlighted that the committee aims to ensure local government autonomy, building on previous attempts in the 9th Assembly and earlier. He stressed that this objective is a collective resolution of the 10th Assembly, comprising eight political parties, under the leadership of Speaker Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen.
"I must mention that the House of Representatives, the 10th Assembly, has a Legislative Agenda, and part of our objectives with the Constitution Review Committee is to ensure Local Government Autonomy," Rep. Rotimi explained. "Previous Assemblies have attempted this, but it didn't quite work. Now, with eight political parties represented in the 10th Assembly, we have a collective resolve to achieve this under the leadership of Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen," he added.
The House of Representatives views Nigeria's local government system as a vital tier of governance facing numerous challenges. To address these, the 10th House has pledged to adopt legislative measures, including:
* Recognising local governments as independent tiers with full financial and operational autonomy
* Establishing independent local government election commissions or strengthening State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs)
* Fostering better collaboration between local governments and traditional rulers
These measures among others in consultation with States and other stakeholders, aim to strengthen local government autonomy, as outlined in Agenda 3 (Law Reform) of the People's House Legislative Agenda.
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