Senate In Focus: Will Protest Birth LG Autonomy?

Following the slow pace in the constitution amendment and apparent abandonment of the process by some state House of Assemblies, many have been asking if protest will produce the much needed LG autonomy.

The National President, Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees, Akeem Ambali, has said that the union planned to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari over the delayed passage of the local government autonomy bill next week.

The union said it would also embark on rallies across the country as part of advocacy to ensure accelerated passage of the bill by the various state houses of assembly.

The National Assembly had on March 29, 2022, transmitted 44 Constitution alteration bills to the 36 state Houses of Assembly for concurrence.

The bills are seeking to amend various parts of the 1999 Constitution.

The National Assembly had on March 1, 2022, voted on the 68 amendments recommended by the Joint Senate and House of Representatives’ Special Ad Hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution.

To amend a clause in the Constitution, two-third or four-fifth majority of each of the Senate and the House has to approve the amendment after which it will be transmitted to the state Houses of Assembly, where two-third or 24 of the 36 of them have to concur.

However, nine months after the transmission of the bills, many states were said to have refused to vote for local government autonomy.

The Chairman, Conference of Speakers, Abubakar Suleiman had earlier said that 21 states have passed the amendment bills as of December 6, 2022.

The Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ahmed Wase, who are Chairman and Co-Chairman of the Special Ad Hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, respectively, had on October 18, 2022, vented their anger over the delay in passing the bills by the state assemblies.

Worried by the lukewarm attitude to the constitution review exercise, the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila have rallied support for the quick passage of the amendment bills.

To this end, Ambali said: “We have planned to commence advocacy and rallies across the state assemblies to ensure its passage from next week.

“We also want to pay a courtesy call on the President, Federal Republic of Nigeria with an aggressive media campaign with NGOs, civil society groups and labour movement.”

But a lot of Nigerians have expressed concern that politicians, especially some governors and some members of the State House of Assemblies are unwilling to pass the bill.

They are now calling on the unions to mobilise for a protest for the passage of the LG autonomy bill.

But will protest give birth to LG autonomy, only time will tell.