A former Abia State commissioner for finance Dr Philips Nto has disclosed that financial autonomy is not enough for the full liberation of the third tier of government from the state governors.
According to Nto, for the local governments to function optimally and serve the people effectively, it must also be autonomous politically and administratively.
Nto who is a former Commissioner for Finance and Economic Planning in Abia State, noted that the judgment of the Supreme Court is only the beginning of a journey to completely remove the local governments from the control of the governors.
He advocated the abrogation of the local government Service Commission so that governors would no longer have the powers to appoint heads of service, treasurers ,auditors, and other key staff of the local governments.
He said that until such a drastic step is taken, ” governors will either by election or selection put in their stooges who will do their bidding, irrespective of the financial autonomy.
Nto who is a lecturer at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike also noted that while it is desirable for the Independent National Electoral Commission to conduct elections into local governments, there is no guarantee that the governors would not manipulate the elections.
He insisted that it is only when the local governments achieve political and administrative independence from the governors that the system will be sanitized.
” The current provision which established local government Service Commission does not sit well for full autonomy for local governments. So, something should be done about it, “he argued .
The university don however, commended the federal government for its courage in curtailing the excesses of some governors who had converted local government funds into “their pocket money.”