Former Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has stated that it would be unrealistic to expect local governments in Nigeria to function independently under the current Constitution. Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise, Fashola, who is also the Minister of Power, Works, and Housing, argued that the interference of state houses of assembly and state governments in local government affairs contradicts the idea of autonomy.
Fashola pointed out that the Constitution empowers state houses of assembly to make laws for local governments, which is an external influence that undermines autonomy. He also noted that land, a critical asset for infrastructure development, is controlled by state governments, further limiting local government autonomy.
According to Fashola, the Constitution’s provisions suggest that local governments were not intended to be autonomous. Instead, they were designed to operate under some sort of collaboration, supervision, and oversight by the state governments.
Fashola emphasized the need for a national debate on whether or not to grant autonomy to local governments. If autonomy is desired, he said, certain provisions of the Constitution would need to be amended to free up local governments from state government control.