Recently, the Enugu State chapter of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, the umbrella body of all the political parties in Nigeria, revisited an important issue that is pivotal to the political stability of the state. EDE RAPHAEL, in this piece, justifies the review.
IPAC, after a critical review of the on-going reform in the Local government system in Enugu State and its benefits as it will engender an efficient and corruption-free administration at the grassroots, declared its stance on the conduct of the local government elections.
The state chapter of IPAC, had in a press statement in Enugu signed by its chairman and secretary, Hon. AfamAni and Barr. OsitaAgu, respectively, called on the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission not to conduct the local government elections in the state pending the conclusion and outcome of the 11-man Committee on Local Government Staff Audit recently constituted by the state government to review the activities of the local government councils in respect to personnel administration.
The political parties hinged their position on the fact that “the conduct of the local government elections and the constitution of a new local government administration in the state, when the Committee on the Local Government Staff Audit has not concluded its assignment, will be counter-productive to the progress of the local government system, more so when the nation’s economy is currently in a very bad shape.”
The parties maintained that they “believe that no credible local government elections can be conducted in such a confused atmosphere as obtains today in our local government councils.”
While reaffirming their commitment to a democratic process that would usher in a new, effective and efficient local government administration in Enugu State devoid of corruption and irregularity, IPAC commended “the brave initiative and timely intervention of the present administration in Enugu State in instituting far-reaching reforms in the local government system through the constitution of an 11-man Committee on Local Government Staff Audit.”
Furthermore, the parties expressed their desire to see a reformed local government system in Enugu State that will place the third tier of government in its rightful position as the bedrock of participatory democracy for the people at the grassroots to reap the full benefits of governance.
Based on the important role of local government administration, the political parties stressed, “Local government councils are meant to bring government closer to the people for the purpose of transforming their lives,” stressing, “It is therefore imperative that the councils must be put in the proper position to discharge this very crucial responsibility effectively.”
In their words: “We strongly believe that the exercise will help to check the ghost workers syndrome that has been eating deep into the finances of our local government councils, where faceless individuals are used to siphon funds of the local governments. It will also help in ascertaining the actual number of retirees who are now pensioners and who have not been receiving their entitlements for a long time.
“We, therefore, state categorically that the on-going local government verification exercise must be concluded before the conduct of the local government elections in Enugu State. Consequently, we call on the Enugu State Independent Electoral Commission (ENSIEC) to take note of our stance on the matter and act accordingly in the overall interest of the state…
“The Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Enugu State chapter, commends the Enugu State Government for taking this bold initiative and choosing very credible people as members of the committee that is headed by the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, to carry out this all important verification exercise.
“Finally, we also call on other states of the federation to emulate this wonderful step taken by the Enugu State Government. IPAC Enugu State chapter will continue to stand for transparency, equity, justice, and for free, credible and fair elections at all levels of government.”
From the foregoing, and judging by the issues raised by the political parties, there is need to support the local government reform agenda of the present administration in Enugu State.
It could be recalled that the governor, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, during the inauguration of the local government reform committee, stated, “The committee’s report will be central to the successful execution of government’s plans to institute far-reaching reforms and take requisite measures to standardise and restore sanity to the manner with which staff matters and related issues are handled in our local governments.”
To achieve the aim of the committee, the governor mandated it, to, among other terms of reference, “identify and flush out ghost workers and plug all avenues of leakages and wastages that have hitherto weighed down the finances of local government councils.”
In further demonstration of his seriousness towards reform of the local government system, the governor stressed that the exercise was “a task that must be tackled promptly, zealously and dispassionately in order to save the system of the local government staff administration in Enugu State from imminent collapse.”
Looking at this critically, the idea behind it was borne out of his administrative creativity to instill fiscal discipline, probity, transparency and accountability to ensure the survival of the local government administration in the state.
IPAC’s stance in this regard is commendable and a veritable proof that the government reform policy is an act in the right direction. It also goes a long way to buttress the importance of such reform in view of the current negative development in the nation’s economy and the need for belt-tightening measures to save cost for development issues. This move will surely guarantee expeditious growth in the local government administration.
In the opinion of IPAC, there is no way the state can achieve any meaningful success in the local government system when the entire system is undergoing sanitisation. From their representation, the Council believes that the fulcrum of the success story of local government system in the state lies in the outcome of the on-going reform. This is because the local government administration is the nexus between the government and the people at the grassroots.
It should be noted that the view of the political parties does not in any way stop the government from conducting the local government elections in the state.
However, their expectation is for more time to enable government sanitise and restore discipline in the local government system for an efficient, productive and disciplined administration that will set a standard for the incoming government that will emerge after the conclusion of the reform.
On the one hand the challenge is on the state electoral body to appreciate the position of the political parties in Enugu State and give it the maximum support it deserves to move the local government administration forward, yet on another hand the public waiting with high expectation that the reform with its aim to save the local government administration in the state from imminent collapse should be given the necessary support to work in the interest of the people.
