Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has urged Nigerians to look beyond the federal authorities and demand higher accountability from state and native governments over the administration of public funds and supply of important providers.
Mr Falana made the decision on Thursday in Lagos because the keynote speaker on the public screening of LG Billions within the Dark, an investigative documentary on native governance in Osun State produced by DevReporting.
The documentary examines the extended disaster over native authorities management in Osun and its implications for public finance and repair supply. It highlights the hole between billions of naira allotted to the state’s 30 native authorities areas and the poor state of roads, water, sanitation, healthcare and training in lots of communities.
Mr Falana stated the state of affairs shouldn’t be peculiar to Osun State, arguing that the disaster of native governance is linked to the weakening of native councils and insufficient accountability on the grassroots.
He stated many Nigerians had misplaced confidence in native governments as a result of elections carried out by State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) had been usually manipulated to favour ruling events.
“The local government or the State Independent Electoral Commissions in Nigeria conduct the worst elections in Africa, where the members of the ruling party, or rather the ruling party must produce all the chairs and the councillors,” he stated.
LG’s funds
Mr Falana additionally criticised state authorities’ continued management of native authorities funds, regardless of the Supreme Court’s July 2024 judgment.
On 11 July 2024, the Supreme Court affirmed the monetary autonomy of Nigeria’s 774 native governments, ruling that allocations meant for the councils needs to be paid immediately to them from the federation account.
Mr Falana stated the judgment is but to totally translate into follow in lots of states.
“In those days, it was an offence to disobey the judgment of the Supreme Court. In fact, even under the military regime, it was unthinkable,” he stated.
“Today, judgments of courts are disobeyed by state governments, federal and even local governments.”
He stated residents must also take duty for demanding accountability from public officers relatively than leaving governance points completely to politicians.
“We have enormous resources in this country, yet our communities remain underdeveloped,” he stated. “We cannot continue to focus exclusively on Abuja while ignoring what happens in our states and local government areas. Every citizen has a responsibility to demand accountability.”
Local governments closest to residents
In her opening remarks, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Folasade Ogunsola, stated efficient native governments are important to nationwide growth as a result of they’re closest to residents.
Mrs Ogunsola stated native councils ought to play a central function in city planning and administration, notably as Nigerian cities develop sooner than the infrastructure and establishments supporting them.
“They understand their communities, the location of vulnerable populations, the demands of local infrastructure, and the pressures facing neighbourhoods,” she stated.
She urged native governments to transfer beyond fundamental administration and assist native companies, markets and casual enterprises whereas bettering public areas and important providers.
Mrs Ogunsola, a professor of Medical Microbiology, stated the latest transfer in the direction of direct funding for native governments is a step in the proper course, though challenges remaint.
Mr Falana additionally emphasised that residents ought to make good use of the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) to receive info from the federal government.
He stated residents may ask native governments how a lot that they had obtained and the way the funds had been getting used.
Accountability on the grassroots
The writer of PREMIUM TIMES and Chief Executive Officer of the Centre for Journalism and Innovation Development, Dapo Olorunyomi, who chaired the occasion, described the documentary for example of accountability journalism.
“Holding public institutions and officers accountable for their responsibilities to citizens is what can make them stay on their toes, and that is what DevReporting did with its documentary,” he stated. “And that is accountability journalism.”
The occasion additionally featured the revealing of the Development Reporting Africa Foundation (DRAF), the non-profit arm of DevReporting, and a panel dialogue on native governance and accountability.
The panel featured Comfort Idika-Ogunye of Jiti Ogunye Chambers; Moyosore Adebanjo, Executive Chairman of Onigbongbo Local Council Development Area (LCDA), Lagos State; Wale Adedayo, former Chairman of Ijebu East Local Government Area, Ogun State; Vera Amaechi, a lecturer within the Department of Political Science at UNILAG; and Joshua Osiyemi, Head of Tracka at BudgIT.
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The panellists known as for transparency in native authorities funds, together with publishing budgets and expenditure on-line in accessible codecs. They additionally urged councils to enhance public engagement and sensitise residents in regards to the features of native governments and the way public assets are used.
They additional really helpful stronger citizen participation, notably by girls, younger folks and individuals with disabilities, and inspired civil society organisations to take accountability efforts beyond state capitals into native communities.
The panel additionally burdened the significance of utilizing digital instruments to monitor authorities tasks, report failures and monitor the implementation of public programmes.
The convener and Team Lead of DevReporting, Mojeed Alabi, stated the documentary and the launch of the muse are pushed by a shared dedication to enhance society by growth reporting and accountability.
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