Strengthening Local Governments
#ReviewConstitution series on the constitutional amendment continued. Click here to see background and the status as at 10th October, 2017
Distributable Pool Account Bill
This amendment seeks to annul the State Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) and empower each Local Government Council (LGC) to maintain its own special account through which their funds will be paid directly from the federation account. It went further to make provisions for savings in the federation account before distributions to the other levels of Government. The bill also empowered the State Houses of Assemblies (SHoA) to through a law create an account through which prescribed amounts/ monies from each LGC and State Government will be deducted from the federation account and paid into for paying teachers’ salaries and other related purposes. The bill intends to strengthen primary education through improved funding (joint contribution from the State and LGC). This is a very important amendment in the on-going exercise. This amendment if approved makes sure that the government closest to the people is in charge of its resources. As such, there are potentials of strengthening governance, accountability and service delivery at the grass root level since the LGCs will have reasonable control over their funds and administrations.
Local Government Funding and Administration Bill
This amendment seeks to provide some framework and standard of LGA administration across the country. As a recognised tier of government, it provides a uniform tenure of 3 years for Local Government Councils and empowers the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) to remit Local Government Area (LGA) allocations only to LGAs with democratically elected officials. It revokes caretaker committees or sole administrators from managing the affairs of LGAs. It went further to empower the SHoA to through a law provide for the establishment, elections, structures, composition, finances, and functions of the councils, subject to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended. It will ensure that only democratically elected officials run the affairs of the LGAs, In the long-run, this will entrench accountability, transparency, and responsiveness at the local level since citizens at those levels will be better positioned to demand for all of these.
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Focus for Tomorrow: Bills Targeting the Strengthening of Governance Institutions
- Bill on Financial Autonomy of State Legislatures
- Bill on 'Immunity for Legislators for Acts in the Course of Duty Bill
- Bill on 'Presidential assent on Bills'
- Bill on 'Members of the Council of States'
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