From Lawal Sa’idu Funtua, Katsina.
Katsina state House of Assembly has rejected the constitutional amendment that would give autonomy to the local governments in the country.
Speaking with newsmen on the Assembly’s in-put on the proposed constitutional amendments, the majority leader of the house, Dr. Lawal Aliyu Musawa said the legislature at the local government level is not matured to provide the necessary check and balance.
He said, “Yes, we deliberated over a lot of issues and we said yes to the autonomy of the legislature; but we said no to local government autonomy’.
Musawa however recalled that during the tenure of late president Umaru ‘Yar’adua some of the local governments could not pay their salaries due to the abuse of the semi-autonomy given to them at that time.
“During the tenure of late president Umaru ‘Yar’adua he had to come in to salvage some local governments by paying the arrears of their staff salaries and contract liabilities. And this is all because of abuse”, he added.
He similarly said the Assembly has agreed with the separation of the office of the Commissioner of Justice and that of the Attorney-General. The majority leader the House also agreed with the changing of Nigeria Police Force to Nigeria Police, so as, according to him ‘to look more civil under democratic government’.
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