Former presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adamu Garba, has called for the scrapping of local governments in Nigeria, describing them as "Automated Teller Machines (ATMs)" for state governors.
In a statement posted on his X page, Garba criticized the third tier of government as an inefficient and ineffective system that primarily serves as a financial resource for governors rather than fulfilling its constitutional responsibilities.
"One of the most inefficient, ineffective back pocket of some state governors is the local government councils," Garba stated. "Local governments takes their legislation from the state assemblies and you know what that means. Autonomy or not, the LGs are still ATMs of some state governors."
The former presidential aspirant further argued that Nigeria's three-tier governance structure is unique globally and has proven unworkable. "In reality, there is no any country on earth that has third tier of government except Nigeria. Since it proved to be non-workable, why not scrap it?" he questioned.
Garba expressed skepticism about the practical implementation of the Supreme Court's ruling on local government autonomy, suggesting that the current system is fundamentally flawed regardless of legal interventions.
Alternative Governance Proposal
As an alternative to the current system, Garba proposed transferring local government powers to traditional rulers. "Instead of struggling to get constitutional authority to our traditional rulers, they should be handed over the local government councils and let them run it according to the local culture and tradition of the people within their domain," he suggested.
This proposal comes amid ongoing debates about local government autonomy and effectiveness in Nigeria's governance structure, particularly following recent Supreme Court rulings aimed at strengthening local government independence from state control.
The issue of local government autonomy has remained contentious in Nigeria's political landscape, with many arguing that state governors' interference in local government affairs has undermined grassroots development and democratic governance.
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