CONSTITUTION AMENDMENT: NASS approves financial, administrative autonomy for Local Govts

The discourse over financial and administrative autonomy to local governments across Nigeria has been laid to rest as the National Assembly on Tuesday approved the mandate.

Both Chambers of the federal legislature, in their respective sessions, voted in favour of Local Government administrative autonomy as a tier of government in the constitution to guarantee its democratic existence and tenure.

In the House of Representatives, the ‘YES’ votes which polled 257 outweighed the 9 ‘NO’ votes regarding the bill to create a special account to which funds for local governments are to be paid directly from the Federation Account.

READ ALSO: CUPP charges National Assembly on e-transmission of election results

For the bill on local government autonomy, 258 Reps voted ‘YES’ while 15 voted ‘NO’.

In the Senate, the bill for local government financial autonomy had 92 ‘YES’ votes and two ‘NO’ votes.

For the local government autonomy, 88 Senators voted ‘YES’ and 4 voted ‘NO’ while the bill seeking local government administrative autonomy had 88 ‘YES’ votes, four ‘NO’ votes.

The two-day exercise was done electronically.

Lawmakers are voting on 68 bills for Constitution Amendment.

Some of the other bills include a bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for the Financial Independence of State Houses of Assembly and State Judiciary; and for Related Matters.

More details later….

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now