Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara state, yesterday said granting the much desired autonomy to local government councils in Nigeria, would only complicate rather than resolving the challenges confronting the third tiers of government.
He said the desired autonomy for local government councils in Nigeria would only yield little fruit if the local government system was not reformed and strengthened along economic lines.

Ahmed stated this in Ilorin at the inauguration of the Transitional Implementation Committee (TIC) chairpersons for the 16 local government councils in the state.
Ahmed’s position is coming barely a week after his Gombe counterpart, Ibrahim Dankwambo said the local government, as a tier of government, lacked capacity to manage the autonomy if given.
Specifically, he said the personnel do have necessary education and training to make the system work, and therefore concluded that it would collapse.

Speaking along similar line while inaugurating a new team of TIC chairmen in Ilorin yesterday, Governor Ahmed noted that what is needed at the local councils was a reform that would provide tangible opportunities for the councils to meet salary and infrastructure obligations.
“While the current agitations for local government autonomy enjoy the degree of support among Nigerians, the truth is that the desired autonomy will yield little fruit unless local government system is reformed and strengthened along economic lines.
“In other words, granting autonomy to local government with highly limited economic potentials is more likely to complicate rather than resolving the challenges confronting such local governments.

“What we need is a reform that provides tangible opportunities for local governments to meet salary and infrastructure obligations”, he said.
The governor charged the newly sworn-in TIC chairpersons to strengthen the synergy with the state Internal Revenue Service to shore up their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
This, he said, would go a long way in enhancing their ability to meet more of their obligations, particularly the prompt payment of salaries.
Ahmed also charged them to concentrate more effort in mobilising the informal sector for compliance with tax regulations.

The Kwara chief executive blamed structural and economic deficiencies in Nigerian local government system for continually retarding the capacity of councils to perform the roles envisaged by the laws.
Ahmed, had on May 10, approved the appointment of the TIC members following the expiration of the second term tenure of the TIC members inaugurated in November 2016.
He asserted that the current national economy necessitated the setting up of the TIC pending when the challenges would be resolved.

“Consequently, development in our national economy that necessitated the constitution of the last TIC are still with us.
“Today, swearing-in of the newly appointed TIC chairpersons for the 16 local government councils, therefore, underscores our resolve to sanitise our local government system as a prelude to full fledged councils.
“Clearly, the economic realities of local governments and indeed the country, remain unfavourable to the enthronement of executive chairpersons”, he said.

Ahmed explained that the TIC members were only expected to give priority to payment of salaries and pensions and start to clear arrears of backlogs accumulated over the years.
He warned them against making new appointment and to be cautious of conduct that could call their integrity to question.
Responding on behalf of others, Mrs. Funmilayo Salau, the TIC chairperson for Ilorin South local government pledged to deliver dividends of democracy to the grassroots.
She expressed delight that the governor found them worthy to be part of change team in the country, promising not to let him as well as people of the state down.