By: Abiola Rufai 

The denial of Local Government system in Nigeria of fiscal and administrative autonomy has been described as major obstacle preventing the third tier of Government from making life meaningful and abundant for the people at the grassroot.

The Chairman of Yewa South Local Government in Ogun State, Hon. Lateef Adebayo Salami stated this while playing host to members of the Senior Executive Course 44, 2022 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategy Studies, Kuru in his Ilaro office. 

Hon. Salami while addressing the visitors who were on a mission of identifying challenges and opportunities that abound in Local Government system of Nigeria pointed out that, the current high level of poverty in rural areas were largely due to the non-injection of Local Government revenue into the rural economy. 

According to him,  "sincerely, the denial of Local Government of its fiscal and administrative autonomy has ambushed it and prevented it from making life more abundant for the people at the grassroot. Local Government have been demarcated from the sense of belonging to the other two tiers of governments (federal and state). It is apparent that, the current level of poverty in the rural areas is largely due to the non-injection of Local Government revenue into the rural economy".

The Council Boss said that,  Government should amend the constitution and make Nigeria a Federation of States and Local Government which according to him would enable the Local Government claim her status as a third tier of Government with full administrative and financial autonomy.

"If the Local Government is strengthened, the rural -urban migration will be greatly reduced because most basic needs would be available in the rural areas and this will make the rural population in farming to settle down and provide food in large quantities for both local consumption and exportation", Hon. Salami posited. 

Speaking earlier, the leader of the visiting team, Brigadier General Wowo Nasiru said that, their visit was to know how to improve Local Government administration in Nigeria and how to strengthen its in the State. 

He stated that solution to challenges facing Local Government Administration in the country could only arrive when they interact with the administrators at the third tier of government.