Soludo advocates Local Govt autonomy based on states’ needs

The Governor of Anambra State, Charles Soludo, has advocated for the strengthening of the Local Government based on the unique needs of each state.

Soludo made this call on Friday, during an interview on Channels TV “Sunrise Daily.”

The airwaves had been dominated with news of the suspension of the Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government area of Ogun State, Wale Adedayo.

Adedayo has accused Governor Abiodun of allegedly diverting local council funds in Ogun state.

Consequently, the Legislative Council of Ijebu East Local Government of Ogun State suspended Adedayo.

Asked about his stance on granting autonomy to the Local Government tier, Soludo said, “Guaranteeing what the constitution says is one thing and whether what is in the constition is efficient is another thing.

Read Also: Anambra APC demands resignation of Soludo, wants FG to appoint ‘caretaker governor’

“In Anambra, we rely on the LG to drill down whatever we are doing; we are cascading a lot of the responsibilities to the LG and we will continue to strengthen. There is no absolute autonomy anywhere — there is a need to coordinate.

“Each federating unit (state) should determine the kind of LG it wants, rather than the constitution imposing a unitary LG system on all the states.”

The former CBN Governor also blamed the constitution for the inability of the governors to harness the natural resources in their respective states.

“A dysfunctional federalism is part of the problem since the governors have no power to harness the states’ national resources since they are under the purview of the FG in the constitution.

“The country is very poor so there is a need to manage in a very austere manner. When I resumed, I had to check the finances and ensure cost-cutting measures,” Soludo said.

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