The Presidency is proposing full autonomy for the nation’s local governments and a redefinition of indigenship under its constitutional reform programme.
The presidency’s plans, according to Vanguard sources, aims to abolish the present joint state/local government account system under which local governments have been tied to the direct oversight of the state governments.
Under another plan to redefine indigeneship, presidency officials are proposing a six-month residency period for anyone to qualify as an indigene. That period is expected to allow such person to be eligible to vote and be voted for in election in any part of the country.
The current local government account system has been widely criticised as undermining development in the local government areas as it allows the state governments to dip hands into the funds of the local governments for other non-developmental projects.
The source revealed that allowing the local governments to get full access to their funds would indeed jumpstart development across the country.
The sources said: “The committee is proposing a return to the local government structure that was in use up to the Babangida era, where the councils were recognised as the third tier of government and were directly funded from the federation account.
“A situation where the states operate joint accounts with the local governments has only opened the councils to excessive control and in most cases strangulation by the states.”
Also the plan to constitutionally redefine indigeneship aims to automatically allow any person who lives in a place for a period of six months to be qualified as an indigene with the right of contesting for elections in that area or voting in constituency elections.
The aim of the redefinition, it was learnt, is to reduce tension in the country and also allow the best hands to come into public service. The case of Dr. Olusegun Aganga was illustrated by the presidency official in the unofficial briefing.
Aganga, a former senior staff of the globally acclaimed investment company, Goldman Sachs, ran into controversy after his ministerial nomination was contested on the allegation that he is not from Lagos State, the state he was nominated to represent.
The constitutional proposal aims to remove such possible areas of contention to allow the best hands to come to public service.
“The issue of state of origin or indegenship could be a thing of the past when the amendment sales through. The committee is proposing that once a Nigerian lives consecutively in an area for six months, he or she is qualified to be voted for in the area.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everydayThe presidency’s plans, according to Vanguard sources, aims to abolish the present joint state/local government account system under which local governments have been tied to the direct oversight of the state governments.
Under another plan to redefine indigeneship, presidency officials are proposing a six-month residency period for anyone to qualify as an indigene. That period is expected to allow such person to be eligible to vote and be voted for in election in any part of the country.
The current local government account system has been widely criticised as undermining development in the local government areas as it allows the state governments to dip hands into the funds of the local governments for other non-developmental projects.
The source revealed that allowing the local governments to get full access to their funds would indeed jumpstart development across the country.
The sources said: “The committee is proposing a return to the local government structure that was in use up to the Babangida era, where the councils were recognised as the third tier of government and were directly funded from the federation account.
“A situation where the states operate joint accounts with the local governments has only opened the councils to excessive control and in most cases strangulation by the states.”
Also the plan to constitutionally redefine indigeneship aims to automatically allow any person who lives in a place for a period of six months to be qualified as an indigene with the right of contesting for elections in that area or voting in constituency elections.
The aim of the redefinition, it was learnt, is to reduce tension in the country and also allow the best hands to come into public service. The case of Dr. Olusegun Aganga was illustrated by the presidency official in the unofficial briefing.
Aganga, a former senior staff of the globally acclaimed investment company, Goldman Sachs, ran into controversy after his ministerial nomination was contested on the allegation that he is not from Lagos State, the state he was nominated to represent.
The constitutional proposal aims to remove such possible areas of contention to allow the best hands to come to public service.
“The issue of state of origin or indegenship could be a thing of the past when the amendment sales through. The committee is proposing that once a Nigerian lives consecutively in an area for six months, he or she is qualified to be voted for in the area.”
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