Fayose: LG autonomy won’t work — you can’t take baby from mother

Ayodele Fayose, a former governor of Ekiti state, says the supreme court verdict granting financial autonomy to the 744 LGAs could prove impracticable. 

Speaking on Sunday Politics, a Channels Television programme, Fayose said that even though he does not subscribe to state governors taking the funds of the LGs, it is difficult to separate both tiers.

“I am not a lawyer. I am a politician and by God’s grace today, I am an elder statesman,” Fayose said.

“While I love and do not believe that any government should take local government funds, may I say to you very clearly this evening that you cannot take the baby from the mother.

“There is nobody that can become council chairman without a governor. Anybody telling you otherwise is wasting his time.

“Let me quickly remind you that the house of assembly of every state controls the activities and checks the activities of the local government.

“While I was governor, I had the privilege of receiving money from Abuja. When you receive money from the account, some people manage the account. They are not politicians or the council chairman.

“There is only one representative of the governor, which is the local government commissioner. All others are local government officials, workers, and pensioners of the council.

“They appropriate the funds. But when you now come and say we are giving power to the local government, what power are you giving to them? No power.

“The state is more effective in administrative performance than the local government.”

Fayose added that LG staff do not show up at offices.

“Go to the councils from Monday to Friday, you will not find 10 percent of the staff of the local government in the offices. They don’t come to work,” he added.

“My name is Ayo Fayose and I want them to dispute this. They don’t come to work. When you make moves to bring them to book, both NULGE and all leaders of the local government will come and be begging the governor.

“They will be telling you, we will not vote for you. This is the way we operate at the local government.

“At the local government, everybody comes to collect money. Even people who have left some states. They live somewhere else and money just hit their accounts.”

Last week, the apex court ruled that the federal government should henceforth pay allocations directly to LGs.