House of Reps Holds Nat’l Dialogue on LG Autonomy, Election, Financial Autonomy Top Agenda
The House of Representatives will on Monday (today) hold a national National Dialogue on Local Government and Constitution Amendment.
The event slated to hold at the Congress Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel Abuja will be hosted by the House Committee on Constitution Review (HCCR) headed by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu.
According to a statement issued on Sunday by the spokesman of the House, Hon. Akin Rotimi Jr., the event is being organised in collaboration with the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and with support from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), continues the Committee’s sectoral engagement with various stakeholders on the ongoing Sixth Alteration of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).
Key issues to be discussed at the dialogue include, Financial autonomy for local governments, Administrative autonomy, Ensuring free and fair local council elections, Mechanisms to promote accountability and transparency at the local government level.
According to the House spokesman, “other critical topics to be addressed include the roles of various stakeholders—Federal and State Governments, the Judiciary, National and State Houses of Assembly, civil society organizations, traditional rulers, and local communities—in advancing the agenda for local government reform and autonomy.”
Earlier, the committee stated that, “It is intended that the outcome of the dialogue will produce a roadmap to identify specific constitutional provisions for achieving amendments to Nigeria’s constitution.”
Speaking on the critical importance of the dialogue, the Deputy Speaker reiterated that the 10th House of Representatives was committed to ensuring that a robust constitutional framework is created for a robust local government system in the country.
According to him, “This event is a vital platform to consolidate ideas and strategies for achieving a robust local government framework, which is critical to our constitutional review efforts. As we continue in this historic undertaking, let us remain guided by our shared commitment to strengthening our democracy, deepening our federal structure, and fostering unity and prosperity for all Nigerians.”