PFN to FG: Back LG autonomy with industry law to reduce hardship – Cleric 

National Publicity Secretary Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Archbishop Emmah Gospel Isong, has called on the federal government to ‘industrialise’ the law which grants autonomy to the 774 local government areas in the country in order to drastically reduce hardship.

Archbishop Isong, who said this in Calabar, weekend, during his 60th birthday celebration/installation as Archbishop, said “the federal government should turn this new law of local government autonomy to industrial law.

“The same zeal which the federal government pushed for the autonomy of 774 local government areas in the country, should be applied here, that is, the federal government should back up the local government autonomy law with industrial interpretation such that cottage industries are established in all the 774 local government areas.

“Now the Chairmen are as powerful as half a governor. Let it be established in our law books that no local council should operate without a cottage industry. Every local government council must establish an industry according to the raw materials found in such council areas.

“If each local government council, according to this law, can establish at least one industry, the employment level at the third tier of government would be higher, and then we will experience what I call urban to rural migration.

“With this, population and social tension in the urban areas will reduce, crimes and hardship will also reduce and then youth involvement will increase,” he stated 

Archbishop Isong also called on the governors of Cross River and Akwa Ibom State to establish an interstate commission to frontally tackle intractable social and infrastructural challenges like the broken down Calabar/Itu highway.