By Our correspondent
The Anambra Civil Society Network has called on Governor Chukwuma Soludo to withhold his assent to the recently passed State Local Government Administration Law, 2024, by the House of Assembly.
The group described the law as an affront to the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy, anti-people, and therefore unconstitutional, illegal, null, and void.
According to the group’s leader, Prince Chris Azor, the law, if assented to by the governor, will present a recipe for anarchy and destabilisation.
In a press release made available to journalists in Awka, the state capital, on Monday, Azor stated that the Local Government Administration Law of Anambra State, 2024, contravenes the Supreme Court judgment delivered on July 11, 2024.
Azor noted that the Supreme Court judgment unambiguously averred that no portion of local government funds should be taken, either in part or whole, and that state governments have no power to keep, control, or disburse allocations from the federation account to local government councils.
The apex court granted an order of injunction restraining state governments from further collecting, receiving, spending, or tampering with local government council funds.
However, the Anambra State Local Government Administration Law provides in sections 13, 14, and 16 that local government allocations accruing to Anambra local governments must be paid into a state-local government joint account within two working days of receipt.
The law also requires the State Assembly to determine its mode of disbursement.
Azor insisted that these stipulations were in clear violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic (as amended) and the Supreme Court judgment of July 11, 2024.
He advised Governor Soludo to rather embrace a consensus and dialogue option by setting up a stakeholders’ committee akin to a similar one convened by the federal government in August this year.
The group acknowledged the need for collaboration with local government administration in addressing common issues around salaries, emoluments, pensions, and gratuities of primary school teachers, local government staff, primary healthcare officials, but argued that this could be achieved without an overarching law that negates local government autonomy.
Azor appealed to Governor Soludo to deploy his expertise and intellect in further entrenching transparency and accountability structures in local government administrative architecture and ensure integrity in its governance standards.
He also emphasized the need to publish local government accounts on a monthly basis.
As civil society advocates, Azor volunteered the group’s competencies to contribute to service delivery through external audits and project monitoring for sustainable development of local governments and the state.
The Anambra State House of Assembly passed the bill titled “Anambra Local Government Administration Law 2024” during its plenary session last Tuesday, despite widespread condemnation from opposition groups and political parties.
