On Tuesday plenary sitting, the National Assembly finally passed the bill to grant full financial and administrative autonomy to all the 774 local government council authorities across Nigeria by amending section 124 of the nation’s constitution.
The section provides a consequential provision for the making of the local councils, a full third tier government without undue interference from the state governments.
This amendment bill was one of the 22 bills passed and approved by the House of Representatives last week and finalised by the Senate on Tuesday.
The red and green chambers harmonised this through a conference committee that looks into versions of the amendments into the constitution carried out last month by each chamber.
Having passed and approved this bill, the National Assembly had ratified all the 23 clauses and sections that had been ammended by the two houses.
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The newly ammended bill also approved the creation of the Office of Auditor General of the Local Government and that of the Local Government Service Commission, which would be sent to all the States Houses of Assembly, for approval.
The section equally deleted the State
Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) from the constitution thereby vesting the powers to conduct council elections on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) only.
Furthermore, the bills retained the immunity clause in the constitution for the President and Governors by adopting the Senate version of the amendments bill and rejects the House of Representatives version which removed the immunity clause.
Finally provisions for Independent Candidacy in future elections in Nigeria was made by the National Assembly by amending sections 65 and 106 of the 1999 constitution.
Highlights of the amendments bills
- Full financial and administrative autonomy to all the 774 local government council authorities across Nigeria
- Provision for the making of the local councils, a full third tier government without undue interference from the state governments.
- Approved the creation of the Office of Auditor General of the Local Government and that of the Local Government Service Commission,
- Deleted the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) from the constitution thereby vesting the powers to conduct council elections on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) only.
- Retained the immunity clause in the constitution for the President and Governors
- provisions for Independent Candidacy in future elections in Nigeria
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