Senate committee recommends change of Egbado to Yewa, three others

…Body cancels state, LG joint account

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By Femi SHODUNKE

NIGERIA: THIS is a piece of good news for indigenes of Ogun West Senatorial District in Ogun State and residents of three council areas in Ebonyi and Rivers states.

Similarly, there is cheering news for agitators of autonomy for local governments as the Senate Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution has recommended the cancellation of Joint Account Allocation Committee – state joint local government account.

But these recommendations will only become effective if accepted by the House of Representatives and assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari.

The committee agreed on the change of two Egbado local governments to Yewa, the name which was changed and approved by the Ogun State Executive Council in 1995, and three others in the South East and South South regions.

Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, made the announcement on Thursday while reeling out the series of recommendations by the committee which was inaugurated last January 13.

Yewa area consists of four local governments – Egbado South, Egbado North, Imeko-Afon and Ipokia – with Ado-Odo/Ota, mainly Awori people, also within Ogun West Senatorial District besides the newly created Local Community Development Associations (LCDAs) in the districts.

Since there hasn’t been any amendment to the 1999 Constitution, the two councils of Egbado North and South still retain their names.

The committee in its amendment of the First Schedule recommended that Afikpo North and Afikpo South (Ebonyi) should be changed to Afikpo and Edda respectively and Obia/Akpor to Obio/Akpor (Rivers), in line with the demands of residents of the areas.

Ekweremadu explained that Section 7 of the Constitution was amended principally to strengthen local government administration in the country by proposing uniform three-year tenure for elected council officials.

Local governments without democratically elected officials, Ekweremadu added, shall not be entitled to any revenue from the Federation Account.

According to him, the recommended modification will ensure effective service delivery and separate local governments from undue and counter-productive interferences from the state governments.

He explained that by the abrogation the State Joint Local Government Account, monies due to the councils would be paid directly into their respective accounts, adding that a portion of the state’s internally generated revenue also shall be paid into the local government allocation account.

The Deputy Senate President stated that the committee had concluded its job and would wait for the House of Representatives on Constitution review to conclude its assignment too to enable both harmonize their recommendations before presenting the final report to the two chambers for consideration and approval.