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The crowd that witnessed the inauguration of the 20 local government councils and 37 local Council Development Areas (LCDA) chairmen was huge. It was a carnival-like swearing-in ceremony. The chairmen and their deputies adorned customised red native caps. Beside them were their wives and husbands. Blue Roof, Lagos Television complex, the venue of the historic ceremony, could not swallow the army of traditional rulers, top government functionaries, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) leaders, political associates, clergymen, and other well wishers. It was another milestone in the career of the local politicians.
Three years ago, many of them received the mantle of leadership at the same venue. They were charged by Fashola to complement his giant strides at the local level. Not all of them heeded the advice. Those who imbibed the wise counsel were not jittery as they did not face still opposition from voters on poll day. According to voters, lack of performance by some of them made the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to manage to gain an inroad into some wards.
However, the onus was on the governor to repeat the charge at the weekend. "The victory you won did not come from your personal capability alone", Fashola said, advising them to be diligent, hardworking, and service-oriented. "We will not tolerate any act of indolence on your part. You must be firm and show compassion to our people. Local governments should contribute to the realisation of the Millennium Development Goals", he added. The governor asked the chairmen to focus on four priority areas. These are primary education, primary health, sanitation and empowerment of the people.
When the tenure of the chairmen expired, some people suggested to Fashola to appoint sole administrators or executive secretaries as stop gap. By the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) insisted on the constitutional provision stipulating that democratically elected councils should be safeguarded. At a time many governors shy away from council polls, the governor refused to violate the law by hiding under political loopholes.
Eyes are on the chairmen, vice chairmen and councillors as they resume office this week. Expectations of the people are high. Before the elections, there was the growing public perception of the council as an inept third tier lacking the competence to discharge the responsibilities allotted to it by the 1999 Constitution. On the campaign ground, ACN leaders, who solicited for votes from Lagosians for the chairmanship candidates, only alluded to the achievements of Fashola, without pointing to the feats of the chairmen seeking for re-election. Thus, many people concluded that there was no evidence of progress across the councils.
Lagos State Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Ademorin Kuye lamented that label of poor performance, which he said, was not entirely true. He submitted that the standard of performance in Lagos councils is second to none in the country. He therefore, cautioned against hasty generalisation. "I have seen an LCDA which built a three-storey health centre, with sophisticated medical equipment. I have seen a local government which commissioned a three storey primary school building. Councils have been purchasing transformers and buying vehicles for the police and these are federal responsibilities", he added.
Generally, local government system is beset with hindrances which hinder effective service delivery. The pre-existing 20 local governments and additional 37 LCDAs are not insulated from these constraints. After casting his ballot at Alausa, Ikeja, ACN national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, dissected the local government administration nationwide, contending that the system is deprived of adequate funding by the federal government. The former governor reenacted the subsisting debate on true federalism, arguing that councils should be under the direct supervision of states. Tinubu said: "You don't expect miracles from the councils because of the pittance extended to states and councils by the distant federal government".
Fashola was also miffed by this deprivation during the ceremony. He asked the federal government to increase allocations to the states and councils, adding that both levels, which are closer to the people, needed more rvenue to better service delivery. But both Tinubu and Fashola agreed that the shortage of funds should an excuse for poor performance and abuse of office. Prior to the ceremony, Tinubu and the party chairman, Chief Oladele Ajomale, had warned that ACN would not condone recklessness and dereliction of duty, advising the members of 'Conference 57' to gird their loins.
Former Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs Commissioner Prince Rotimi Agunsoye observed that efficient performance is possible. But he quickly added that the council chairmen should be closely monitored by the party and state government. He said: "They have no choice than to perform. All that is needed is dedication and sense of responsibility".
Local council system has undergone a process of metamorphosis in the country in the last 60 years. Unlike the pre-independence period, local government is no more reserved for political failures who could not make it to the state and federal levels. However, it has largely remained the bastion of corruption. The greatest form of corruption that is often concealed is perpetrated by the trio of chairman, council manager and treasurer.
At the grassroots, the chairman is perceived as a big man who controls the resources of the council. Party men and women mill around him, pressing for the distribution of cash. Narrating his ordeal, a chairman said, "I cater for 162 party and community leaders monthly". Asked to expatiate, he added: "These people, you cannot do away with them. They are on the informal pay roll. Then, if party leaders and community leaders are organising personal ceremonies, like naming, burial, house warming and birthday, the bill is sent to the council. When you attend any ceremony, prepare for market women, youths and area boys. It is like that across the councils".
Indeed, not only is the council perceived as a veritable avenue for accumulating wealth, local contractors have also mutilated the treasury by abandoning project sites after collecting mobilisation fund. Money is often wasted on political purposes, especially political mobilisation, instead of funding people-oriented projects.
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