- NULGE has warned the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) against obstructing the Supreme Court’s ruling on financial autonomy for local governments
- NULGE President Ambani Olatunji highlighted financial autonomy as crucial for local governments to tackle poverty
- Olatunji commended President Tinubu’s role in securing the ruling and called on Nigerians to support local government autonomy for national progress
The Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has raised concerns over an alleged plan by the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) to undermine a recent Supreme Court ruling that granted full financial autonomy to local governments across the country.
Speaking on Thursday, November 7, during the 2nd National NULGE Week in Abuja, NULGE’s National President, Comrade Ambani Akerman Olatunji, urged the NGF to respect the ruling and warned against any covert actions to prevent its implementation.
Photo credit: @Nigerianstories
Source: Twitter
Addressing participants, Olatunji emphasized that local government autonomy is crucial for Nigeria’s democratic process and the well-being of its people.
“We want to sound a note of warning to members of the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF, who started surreptitious and clandestine moves to thwart that judgment.
“A financially strong, people-driven local government is a democratic right of the Nigerian people. We must adopt a bottom-up approach to governance,” he said.
NULGE: Local governments drive national development
Olatunji underscored the importance of local governments as a vehicle for grassroots development, noting that financial autonomy would enable them to tackle poverty, improve infrastructure, and enhance security at the local level.
“Local government is the most strategic, relevant, and closest to Nigerian people. Development cannot be achieved without a vibrant local government system,” he stated.
He added that Nigeria’s continued poverty and insecurity are directly linked to the weakened state of local governance.
Olatunji praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his commitment to local government autonomy, highlighting his efforts to secure the landmark Supreme Court ruling.
Olatunji rallied local government employees and citizens to support the enforcement of financial autonomy, calling it essential to Nigeria’s progress.
Emphasizing the role of local governments in addressing poverty, infrastructure deficits, and insecurity, he urged,
“Let us stand up for our local government. Let us defend the downtrodden masses. Let us scale up infrastructure development at the local government level and reduce poverty through skill acquisition and empowerment.”
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Source: Legit.ng