From Magnus Eze, Enugu
The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) has demanded a uniform four-year tenure for the third tier of government in the country.
Following the constitutional provision that empowers state Houses of Assembly to make laws for their local government system, their tenures differ from state to state, with many operating two or three year tenures.
It also called for the increase in Federation Account Allocation to local governments from the current 20.6 per cent to 35.5 per cent as well as the abrogation of State and Local Government Joint Account in the ongoing constitutional amendment process.
These were the highlights of the communiqué released after the just-concluded third rotational National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of ALGON in Enugu.
The communiqué signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Solomon Onah among other things said that the NEC presided by National Chairman, Kolade Alabi, also demanded the conduct of elections into the local government system as and when due.
On the issue of the ALGON Comprehensive Primary Healthcare Centres, the NEC expressed dissatisfaction and displeasure with the contractor over the limited and poor number of the projects executed across the country.
It therefore, directed the contractor to move back to site within one week and that additional 300 PHCs should be completed, fully equipped and delivered to ALGON on or before the end of August 2021.
The communiqué further stated that “ALGON has taken the initiative of bringing to an end ‘multiple taxation of goods and services, and illegal road blocks across the country with National Anti-Multiple Taxation Scheme (NAMTAXS) and National Transit Insurance Scheme (NATIS)’. This will optimally address food security challenges, reduce cost of goods and inflation in the country and strengthen the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of the Local Governments and Area Councils in collaboration with the states, Federal Government and their stakeholders. NEC is happy that the projects will seek to assemble all the road users and capture them into its tax net. NEC equally set up a five-man committee to properly harmonize all modalities for their take off and report back in two weeks for implementation.”