Constitution amendment: Ugwuanyi backs autonomy for LGs

By Our Correspondent

Enugu state governor, Ifeanyi Ug¬wuanyi, has backed the growing demand for local government autonomy in the country.
Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Edward Ubosi also toed the governor’s path by expressing support for the struggle by the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) for the third tier of government to enjoy full autonomy.
The duo spoke during the NULGE South East sensitisation rally for local government autonomy held in Enugu.
The President of NULGE, Comrade Ibrahim Khaleel, had led the leadership of the union in the five states in the South East on the sensitisation rally to Enugu.
In a chat with journalists in Abuja at the weekend when he returned from the Enugu rally, Khaleel said both the governor and the Speaker threw their weight behind the auton¬omy for the councils and prom¬ised to vote for total freedom of local government when the time comes.

Ugwuanyi, who received leadership of the association at the Government House, Enugu and briefly attended the rally at the Michael Okpara Square, according to Khaleel, said he (governor) had voted for local government autonomy before and would do it again.
He said: “I want to assure and re¬assure you that I share in your belief, I share in your dream because that is the best way to go. If truly we respect democracy, we should obey the law. Any day, any time, I will support local government autonomy.”

“I have voted for it in the past and I will stand by it. Local government is the most important tier of government because it is the closest to the people. It is by being democratic that we will get the best development for our people at the grassroots,” he said.
Governor Ugwuanyi explained that he was a member of the House of Representatives during the 7th Assembly and supported the call for local government autonomy and voted for it during the last constitu¬tion amendment.
Represented by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Donatus Uzoagbado, who advised NULGE leadership to also visit other South East states to meet their colleagues, added that “it is no more time to talk but time to work.

“The Speaker asked me to tell you that here in the House of Assembly; we stand with NULGE and our people. We elected them to represent the people, you are the people. We stand with you and at this particular point that you defy all odds to come here to repackage what you need in a quiet way, God will be with you. We shall do the needful at the right time to ensure that this interaction brings home the needs of our people so that everybody will be happy,” he said.

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