Abia State Governor, Dr. Alex Otti, has explained that the recently passed Abia State Local Government Administration Law is not in conflict with the Supreme Court’s judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments across the country.
The Governor’s clarification comes amid nationwide discussions on Local Government Autonomy and the constitutional role of States in supporting councils to deliver essential services to the people.
Governor Otti who was speaking on Thursday, during his monthly Media Parley with journalists tagged Governor Otti speaks with Abians”, said the intention behind the law was to ensure the smooth implementation of the Supreme Court decision without causing disruption to governance and service delivery at the grassroots level.
“The Supreme Court judgment has an intention, and the intention of any law is not to ensure a breakdown of service.
“So whatever we did with the law we passed was to ensure that the intended objective of that law is achieved. In fact, the Supreme Court actually made a law by that judgment”, he said.
The Governor noted that while the judgment places certain responsibilities squarely on local governments, such as the payment of teachers, primary healthcare workers, and handling security issues, there is a practical need for continued collaboration between the State and the Councils to ensure viability and effective service delivery.
He further emphasized that it would be irresponsible for State Government to completely detach themselves from the affairs of Local Governments given the interconnected nature of governance.
“So strictly speaking, if you say that Local Government, which is their job, will pay teachers, Primary Healthcare Workers and deal with the issue of security without assistance from the State, some Local Governments would be unviable.
“It would be irresponsible of the sub-nationals to sit tightly and fold their hands and say let them work because it is a combination of the l6ocal Governments that make up the State, just like a combination of the States make the national”, he added.
Governor Otti further explained that the State law is consistent with the Supreme Court ruling and was designed to facilitate its implementation in a manner that avoids administrative hiccups.
“The law we passed is in no way in conflict with the Supreme Court judgment. What we tried to do is to ensure that it is implementable without creating hitches”, he said.
