Creating Autonomous Local Governments Is An Aberration – Gov Diri

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Douye Diri has faulted Nigeria’s brand of federalism.

He argued that a situation where only the federal government can create local government is an aberration.

Diri also said that Nigeria was on the wrong path to development and needed to turn back.

He stated this while delivering a lecture titled: “Rethinking Our Future: The Need For True Federalism and Economic Renaissance,” at the 64th Founders’ Day Lecture of the University of Nigeria in Nsukka, Enugu State,

The Bayelsa governor averred that states should constitutionally have the right to create and legislate on local governments in a truly federal structure.

He reaffirmed his belief in the unity of Nigeria, which he said can only be sustained on the basis of equity, justice and fairness.

Governor Diri described federalism as a very touchy subject that concerns Nigeria’s corporate existence.

According to him, the fact that true federalism has become a lexicon that reverberates across the socio-political landscape of Nigeria underscores the defective nature of the governance structure operational in the country, a situation which has led to constant agitations.

He noted that the current governance structure in Nigeria cannot deliver the future the vast majority of Nigerians desire and deserve.

Diri queried Nigeria’s current federalism, saying it was meant to serve the interest of the colonial masters as against the ideal pattern of forming a federation where states willingly come together to form a nation, as it is in the United States of America.

He said, “We’re all aware of the ongoing conversation around the issue of autonomy of local governments. My concern over this sensitive subject is beyond the question of autonomy and more about the rationale for their creation. The current system, which allocates funds based on the number of local governments, puts some states, especially Bayelsa with just eight, at a disadvantage. This disparity arises because states with more local governments receive a larger chunk of resources, regardless of their specific requirements or financial strength.

“Since the Constitution exclusively recognises states and the federal government as federating units, the federal government’s creation of local governments constitutes an aberration, undermining the principles of federalism and state autonomy. The Constitution’s clear delineation of federal and state powers renders the federal government’s creation of local governments incongruous, as local governance falls within the purview of state authority. My take to addressing this issue is enforcing states’ autonomy to create local government areas tailored to their unique needs and financial capacity to do so.”