The Gombe State House of Assembly has begun public hearing on a bill seeking the establishmentof 13 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs).
The executive bill sent to the House by Gov. Inuwa Yahaya barely three days ago, had passed first and second reading.
Speaking at the event, the Speaker, Mr Abubakar Luggerewo said the exercise was to gather stakeholders’ inputs to strengthen it.
Luggerewo described the bill seeking to create 13 LCDAs out of existing 11 local government areas of the state, as people oriented aimed at fast tracking grassroot development.
According to Luggerewo, the bill also aims to ensure effective utilisation of state resources.
He said the legislators passed the bill through the first and second reading in the same day in view of its important.
“The Bill will bring government services closer to the people, promote development and enhance the quality of life of residents of the state,” he said.
Mr Musa Buba, the Chief Whip and Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, said the bill was anchored on the executive powers within the constitutional framework.
Buba said, “while the constitution recognises only local government areas as listed in Part I of the First Schedule to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the proposed LCDAs are to be established by State legislation.
“These are as administrative units operating under their respective parent local government councils.
“Their purpose is to facilitate good governance, maintain peace and order, bring governance closer to the people, promote equitable development, and enhance service delivery at the grassroots.
“This is in line with the powers granted to states under Sections 4(7), 5(2)(a) and (b), 100(1)-(3) of the Constitution (As amended),” he said.
Raising concern about the bill, Umar Gurama, a retired permanent secretary in the state civil service and legal practioner, who attended the hearing, said the bill has a lot of contradictions that needed to be looked into.
Gurama said the bill aiming to devolute the powers of the LGAs to a smaller levels had been tested in 1989 and 1991 by the military government and it worked well.
He highlited that creation of the LCDAs would only be good if they do not disrupt the LGA structure and funding in line with the Supreme Court’s verdict on financial autonomy of the LGAs.
“They are saying that people should move from the main LGAs to these LCDAs which do not have the infrastructure to support that.
“Also, they (the bill) says that the funds paid to LGAs which is recognised by the constitution should be shared with the LCDAs, is that constitutional?”
Gurama said the Supreme Court had made it clear that the funds of LGAs must not be tampered with.
He argued that it was not the responsibility of the LGAs to fund any LCDA, hence urged the state government to fund the LCDA that would be created and not put the burden on LGAs as being proposed in the bill.
