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Opinion:
BY OLUWOLE OLADIPUPO
The media space was agog with the above news story, recently! I, once, wrote a piece on the Supreme Court judgement on Local government financial autonomy…analysed its, inherent, attendant political undertones, and confusions, therein- But, some politico-ethnocentrically inclined persons, initially felt otherwise, just like my earlier piece, where I raised issues that would, later, delay the implementation of the new minimum wage…eventually, dragged on…for almost two years, before implementation!
The pertinent questions to ask ourselves are: Why should every federal government program seem, often, being laced, and tainted with political self-interest MISSION?
Why should every FG policy implementation, and failure explanation, always set one level/arm of government against the other- Local against the state, State against the federal- Local government chairmen against the state Governors…people against the state governments…workers against the Governors, North against the South, South against the North, Federal against the South South, etc?- A politician, always, does things, in anticipation of future elections and political gains. While a Statesman prepares for future generations welfare, and development oriented programs of action, for the generality of the people, indeed!
When workers new salaries were, first, not agreed upon, we were made to believe that it was the State Governors that were delaying it…didn’t want to agree…and, equally, didn’t want to pay…when the agreement was finally reached! But, many of the State Governors, eventually, went ahead to pay more than the stipulated federal amount of 70K, (Hitherto, unheard of in the past,…except Lagos State). Infact, it was the Edo state government that first initiated, and started paying the 70K minimum wage, which was later copied by the federal government!
Instead for the FG to strengthen federal system, and implement holistic restructuring…it’s weakening federalism, and strengthening unitary system…(FG initiating primary schools curriculum, Agricultural engagements, LGs openimg accounts with the CBN, etc, in a federal system?)… With a lot of zigzags, piece meals, and often policy SURMARSULT in formulations, and program implementations.
Many people easily forget…for reasons best known to them…that we, once, enjoyed full financial autonomy in the Local government system, in this country, (1999-2015), without any hullabaloo, and with fantastic projects implementation…as grassroots dividends of democracy…under their Excellencies Chief Olusegun Osoba, and Otunba Gbenga Daniel of AD and PDP, respectively, in Ogun State…likewise other states…by using the same 1999 constitution, with the local government laws, therein…until former Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun came in…And the rest is history…with APC National coalition of strange bedfellows of supposedly Progressives of the South, and the Northern Hausa-Fulani Orligarchy…with the conservative political leaning of former President Buhari’s CPC…for the purpose of getting power at the center.
In essence, the real issues, against the Local government financial autonomy, are politics, human greediness, intricacies and deficiencies in implementation, and non adherence, strictly, to the spirit of the 1999 constitution, in relation to the existing Local government guidelines, rules, and laws, therein…with political colouration and human manipulative tendencies, thereafter!
If the Local government Supreme court judgement were not politically coloured, with future electoral self-interest….and it adhered strictly to the 1999 constitution…with the removal of any human manipulation…why then the hullabaloo, the Federal government handicap, and excuses, for not coming up with a seamless implementation, by exercising a strong political will, and federal power/might where necessary, as the FG often used in several other politico-economic, security, and corruption interests?
Is it merely calling a dog a bad name to hang it, or just a blame game escape route…for policy failure?
I just read the news that the National ALGON body has pledged support for the federal government/APC, in the local government dispute, with the Osun state PDP government- Is that one of the political reasons/gains, in the supposedly to be LG financial autonomy?… (Forgetting that power is transient…in the hands of other leaders, (you may hate or love), to manipulate against you, in the future, thereby, being on the recieving end!).
