Demand Restoration Of Functional Local Government Areas, Ngoforo Tells Igbos

Igbos have been charged to demand restoration of functional local government areas to enhance development of communities.

The Deputy National Leader (Southeast) of the Renewed Hope for Greater Nigeria (RHGN), Mazi Franklin Ngoforo, made the disclosure when he paid a visit to the National President of the Association of Igbo Town Unions (ASITU), Chief Emeka Diwe, as part of continued efforts to rally grassroots support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.

He said following the direct release of funds to local governments, President Bola Tinubu has restored the original constitutional intent of local government as the third tier of government nearest to the people, and had effectively empowered institutions like ASITU to now hold local government chairmen accountable for tangible development, since the excuse of unreleased funds from the state no longer applies.

Ngoforo harped on the significance of local government autonomy, describing it as one of the most consequential reforms of the Tinubu administration saying this is because it touches governance at the point closest to the ordinary citizen.

According to him, for years running, local government funds meant for grassroots development were routinely diverted or withheld at the state level, leaving town unions and community structures, the very institutions Chief Diwe leads, to fill governance gaps that should ordinarily have been addressed by elected local government officials.

He said the supreme court judgment secured by the Tinubu administration on financial autonomy for local governments was a landmark achievement, noting that the verdict now ensures resources accruing to council areas are deployed directly for the development of local communities and the welfare of the people at that level, rather than being trapped within state structures.

Ngoforo explained that the visit was informed by Chief Diwe’s outstanding leadership of over six thousand town unions spread across Igboland and the Igbo diaspora, describing him as a man whose unwavering commitment to the welfare of Ndigbo has earned him deserved respect across the region.

Speaking during the visit, Ngoforo commended Diwe for what he called a selfless and consistent service to the Igbo people, and used the occasion to stress that President Tinubu’s vision of governance aligns closely with the interests of the poor and vulnerable at the grassroots, the very constituency that town unions across Igboland represent.

Further, Ngoforo said the NELFUND education loan scheme as another significant intervention of the administration, noting that it has made it possible for children of poor families to access tertiary education without the burden of school fees standing in their way. He also pointed to the establishment of the South East Development Commission (SEDC) as concrete evidence of President Tinubu’s fairness to the Igbo people, describing it as a deliberate effort by the President to address the region’s long-standing developmental needs.

He said President Tinubu understands that no government can claim to be pro-poor while bypassing organic community institutions such as town unions, which he noted had historically served as the true custodians of development at the village and town level in Igboland.

Ngoforo noted that it was for this reason RHGN Southeast considered it necessary to engage leaders like Diwe directly, rather than relying solely on party structures, since town unions carry a moral authority and grassroots reach that formal political structures often lack.

He expressed confidence that with reforms such as local government autonomy, NELFUND, and the SEDC now in place, the foundation has been laid for a genuine bottom-up transformation of Igboland, adding that town union leaders and community stakeholders need to continue to engage constructively with the government rather than remain on the sidelines.

Responding, Chief Diwe clarified that ASITU, though a political association by nature of its engagement with governance issues, remains strictly non-partisan in its operations. He thanked Ngoforo for the visit, stating that the overriding priority of ASITU had always been how to improve the lives of ordinary Igbo people at the grassroots, irrespective of political affiliations.

Diwe used the opportunity to highlight the progress being recorded through ASITU’s Aku Ruo Ulo investment initiative, a homegrown blueprint designed to encourage Igbo people at home and in the diaspora to reinvest a percentage of their wealth back into Igboland, saying the initiative continues to yield positive results in strengthening the economic base of the Southeast and encouraging self-reliant development within Igbo communities.

The ASITU President General advocated for a new generation of political leadership in Igboland, one defined by integrity, genuine passion for development, and authentic concern for the plight of the people, stressing that such leadership qualities remain essential if the region is to fully harness the opportunities available to it at both state and federal levels.