Constitution Amendment: Nasarawa State Speaker Assures Of Expeditious Passage For LG, Legislature Autonomy
The Speaker, Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Rt Hon Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, has given assurance that the Assembly under his leadership will give expeditious passage for the amendment of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to grant autonomy to Local Governments and the legislature.
The Speaker gave the assurance while receiving members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) from the North Central States at the House of Assembly complex today (Wednesday March 16, 2022) in Lafia.
The NLC members from the Six States of the North Central and FCT are in Nasarawa State House of Assembly to demand for autonomy of LG, Judiciary and the Legislature.
The Speaker said that autonomy for Local Governments in Nigeria is long overdue in order to ensure development in the grassroots.
“This struggle is our own struggle. It is a collective struggle and we must fight it to the end .
“We in Nasarawa Assembly are labour friendly. NLC in the State can attest to that. The issue of Local Government autonomy is long overdue and I want to assure you that we shall do your bidding. Go home and sleep. When we get communication on LG Autonomy we will give it expeditious passage. It is long overdue.
“On the issue of Judicial and Legislative autonomy, I can confidently say that nobody can change the autonomy of the legislature and judiciary because it is already a constitutional matter.
“What remains on the issue of state legislature and judiciary autonomy is Implementation.
“Very soon, their implementations will commence by the grace of God,” he said
The Speaker also commended the National Assembly for voting in farvour of Local Government autonomy in the constitutional amendment.
Earlier, Comrade Yusuf Sarki Iya, the NLC Chairman, Nasarawa State who led other NLC Chairmen of the North Central States said that the peaceful protest was to demand for state legislature and judiciary autonomy as well as autonomy for local government.
Comrade Iya said that autonomy would promote transparency, accountability and good governance in the country.
He commended the Nasarawa State House of Assembly for being workers friendly and called for its sustenance.
It would be reported that members of NLC carried placards with different inscriptions such as ‘workers demand for autonomy of LG, State Assemblies and Judicial autonomy’, ‘we support LG councils autonomy’ among others as the workers comprised of members of all NLC affiliate bodies and their leaders from Nasarawa, Kogi, Plateau, Niger, Kwarra states and the FCT.
