Agora Policy to host dialogue on LG accountability August 5

Agora Policy, a think tank, will host a conversation on deepening accountability, democracy and good governance in Nigeria’s 774 LGAs.

The event will hold on Monday, August 5, at the main auditorium of the Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.

The dialogue follows the ruling of the supreme court which granted financial autonomy to local councils and affirmed that it is illegal for LGAs to be run by caretaker committees appointed by state governors.

“Put together with the support of MacArthur Foundation, the policy conversation is designed to tease out practical ways of ensuring that the implementation of the decision of the apex court translates to positive change in local government administration across the country and, ultimately, to significant improvement in citizens’ welfare,” the statement reads.

The event is in partnership with BudgIT Foundation, Yiaga Africa, the Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity, Premium Times and TheCable.

The theme of the event is ‘Enthroning Accountability in Local Governance in Nigeria’.

Waziri Adio, founder of Agora Policy, said financial autonomy for LGs should not be an end in itself but a means to more effective governance.

“Our considered view is that while financial autonomy to the LGAs is not a bad thing, that by itself might not change much if it is not undergirded by robust accountability mechanisms,” Adio said.

“Financial autonomy should not be an end by itself but a means to more effective governance, deeper democracy and better service delivery at the local level.

“However, there does not appear to be an automatic link between direct federation allocation to the LGAs and the improved performance that we expect.

“It is therefore important to spend time in identifying and thinking about how to emplace the other things that are needed to achieve more effective, more responsive and more impactful governance at the tier of government closest to the people.”

Some of the panelists would be Aminu Maifata, national president of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON); Remi Aiyede, a professor of political institutions, good governance and public policy at the University of Ibadan; Samson Itodo, executive director of Yiaga Africa; and Bukky Shonibare, executive director of Invictus Africa.

Nabilah Usman of Radio Now would moderate the panel session.