Senate president Lawan ask Southern governors to champion restructuring
President of the Senate Ahmad Lawan has stated that some of the insecurity situations in the country are caused by a lack of a functioning local government system and not restructuring as the Southern Governors have suggested.
The Senate President who spoke in an interview with State House correspondents at the Presidential Villa, Abuja said the local government system must be functional and efficient.
“I want to take this opportunity also to say that we have diminished the local government system. I think we can attribute some of the security issues to the lack of a functional local government system.
“For me, I think the time has come for us to take up the challenge to ensure that the local government system functions. This is in keeping with looking for ways, for means, for solutions to the security challenges that we face. We must never neglect the local government system.
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“I believe that this is one system that had worked even though in a different name. When it was Native Authority it was very effective, very efficient.
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“So, we must go back to our local government to ensure that the local government continues to be autonomous, continues to be functional in order to compliment whatever the States and the Federal Government would be doing.
On the call for restructuring by Southern governors he said though the agitation for restructuring might be genuine, elected leaders and state governors should not be the ones to champion the movement for restructuring without first replicating the idea at the state level.
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Lawan said: “I believe that, as leaders, especially those of us who are elected into office, should not be at the forefront of calling for this kind of thing.
“Because, even if you are a governor, you are supposed to be working hard in your state to ensure that this restructuring you are calling for at the federal level, you have done it in your state as well.
“What you may accuse the Federal Government of, whatever it is, you may also be accused of the same thing in your state.
“So, we are supposed to ensure that we have a complete and total way of ensuring that our systems at the federal, state and even local government levels work for the people.
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“We must allow people to participate in governance, so that whoever feels he has something to offer to make Nigeria better does so freely without any let or hindrance.”
He called on all elected leaders across the three tiers of government to always avoid primordial sentiments capable of creating division and social discontent among Nigerians.
“We should avoid partisanship, we should avoid regionalism. We are all leaders and we are in this together. The solution must come from us regardless of what level of government we are – whether at the federal, state or even at the local government level,’’ he added.