TOMORROW'S election of chairmen and councillors into the 20 Local Government Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas of Lagos State has naturally shifted public focus to the third tier of government in the country. It is equally significant that Lagos State is spearheading the elections, which are expected to be replicated in other states as the three-year term of the incumbents expires.But the excitement that ordinarily should surround elections and other activities concerning local government are all but submerged in the public's total loss of confidence in the third tier of government. This is hardly surprising, considering that local governments have in the last several years, particularly since the advent of the current democratic dispensation, practically abdicated their constitutional responsibility.The spirit of the 1999 Constitution, and indeed the previous constitutions, points unwaveringly to the grassroots nature of councils, which by extension is recognition of their closeness to the people. Democracy cannot be deemed to succeed if local governments fail to deliver. Sadly, local governments throughout the country are nothing but a picture of failure, despair, neglect and despondency.These are the bedrock of the voters' apathy that is readable from the current campaign in Lagos. It is difficult to fault the people's attitude to the election, against their frustration and disappointment at the councils in the past years. Many people in fact feel insulted at the cynical attempt by incumbent council officials to fix bad roads and thus reduce the pain of living. These are roads, after all, that have been criminally neglected for months, to the detriment of the same people being asked to vote.Nevertheless, Nigerians must not lose sight of the fact that democracy begins at the council level, and it is important that those at the helm of affairs represent the people's choice. Hence, Lagosians should come out tomorrow to exercise their civic duty. People in other states should similarly come out in large numbers to pick their preferred candidates, whenever their council elections are fixed.From now, the more ardent tasks of the public should be how to make local governments work, and elected officials accountable to the people and to the Constitution they swear to uphold.Under section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution, the system of local government by democratically elected councils is guaranteed. Accordingly, 'the government of every state shall subject to section 8 of this Constitution, ensure their existence under a law which provides for the establishment, structure, composition, finance and functions of such councils'.While all the states have substantially complied with this requirement, most of them sadly have done other things to virtually render the local governments irrelevant, and powerless to carry out their functions, set out in the Fourth Schedule to the Constitution. Besides, hardly can any of the country's 774 local governments lay claim to fulfill the stipulations of s.7(3) to participate, as a duty, 'in economic planning and development' of the area defined for them.Under the Fourth Schedule, the main functions of a local government council include 'construction and maintenance of roads, streets, street lightings, drains and other public highways, parks, gardens, open spaces, or such public facilities as may be prescribed from time to time by the House of Assembly of a state.' They are also to establish and maintain cemeteries, burial grounds, homes for the destitute, slaughter houses, markets, motor parks and public conveniences.In the past 10 years, the impact of local governments regarding these duties has been minimal. By far, people at the grassroots have suffered more from degradation of roads, understandably because their daily activities involve movement from one location to another. Throughout the country, the story of dilapidated roads and non-performance of local governments is the same.All stakeholders in tomorrow's election in Lagos, and subsequent ones in other states, should use the occasion as a wake-up call to restore the past glory of local governments.Although local government officials must take responsibility for acts of commission or omission in their localities, it is disheartening that state governments, Lagos State inclusive, have all conspired to strangulate and diminish the importance of councils. This the governors do by literally diverting the funds of councils, thereby restricting their initiatives and reducing them to an appendage of state governments. The Constitutional provision that requires payment of local government's statutory allocations into the 'State Joint Local Government Account' has not been helpful, as governors, who control the accounts, disburse same at their whims.This issue should be the fulcrum of future constitution amendments, to redeem the local government system.Lagos State should use this election as an opportunity to lead in revamping the system of local government and while public outcry against imposition of candidates is justified because such actions violate the spirit of democracy, the malady will not be cured by voters staying away from the polling booths.Rather, they should heed the call of the Lagos State Independent Electoral commission (LASIEC) to exercise their voting rights tomorrow.
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