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NULGE to rally for councils’ autonomy

By Collins Olayinka, Abuja
15 August 2017   |   4:18 am
The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) would next week Monday begin a nationwide rally to mobilise for local councils’ autonomy by the 36 states Houses of Assembly.

The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) would next week Monday begin a nationwide rally to mobilise for local councils’ autonomy by the 36 states Houses of Assembly.

Acting General Secretary of the union, Chuks Aguonye, said in Abuja that mobilisation would begin from Zamfara and Anambra states on Monday, August 21 and end on Thursday, September 14, 2017 in Sokoto State.

He explained that the rally was being planned to prevail on the states Houses of Assembly and the governors to join the National Assembly, which has already voted for local governments autonomy to make the councils truly autonomous.

Aguonye alleged that some governors were behind the inability of the seventh Assembly to pass the Local Government Autonomy bill into law.

“The two chambers of the National Assembly have passed the bill and have transmitted same in addition to other bills to states Houses of Assembly as required by law.

“The seventh National Assembly attempted to amend the 1999 Constitution, which it passed on the local government autonomy bill; unfortunately, it failed to get the two-third majority of the states Houses of Assembly.

“Available evidence confirmed that the failure of the state assemblies to get the required two-thirds majority was attributable to the dictates and influence of governors who wanted to control councils’ funds but this time around, the union will not allow what happened in the last assembly to repeat itself.

“In view of the above, it has become necessary for the national leadership to act fast. Therefore, at the end of an emergency NEC meeting of the union, it was agreed that rallies should be held in the 36 states capital across the country, whether or not such rallies have been held before now.

“Accordingly, all state chapters of the union have been directed to mobilise all our members for peaceful rallies on a date assigned to them as one of the programmes slated for this campaign at this stage,” he said.

Lamenting the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari, who he said, promised to ensure the bill was passed into law, Aguonye revealed that the union has set aside a day within the week pray for his quick recovery.

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