By Christian ABURIME
In a significant address to Ndi Anambra which also serves as his intervention on the raging national conversation on the controversial Local Government Autonomy, the Governor of Anambra State, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, has advanced a nuanced approach that could be helpful to Nigeria’s evolving federal landscape.
As the nation contends with the implications of a recent Supreme Court judgment concerning local government autonomy, Governor Soludo’s take indeed offers a thoughtful roadmap for navigating the complexities of potential governance anarchy.
At the heart of Governor Soludo’s position is a commitment to competitive federalism. The governor, known for his economic acumen which was evident in his unforgettable banking institutional reforms as CBN governor, argues passionately that in a diverse nation like Nigeria, a one-size-fits-all approach to local governance is inherently flawed.
“I do not know any federation where a uniform local government system is provided for in a federal constitution,” Soludo asserts, advocating for a system where states have the flexibility to tailor the Local Government system to their unique needs.
In response to the Supreme Court’s ruling, the Anambra State House of Assembly has passed two pivotal pieces of legislation: the Economic Planning and Development Law and the Local Government Administration Law, both of 2024. These laws, Governor Soludo explains, are not meant to circumvent the Supreme Court’s decision but rather to give it “operational life” within the state’s context.
Accordingly, the new legal framework enacted by the Anambra State House of Assembly aims to achieve three critical objectives. One is to ensure consistency with both the federal constitution and the Supreme Court’s judgment. Two is to enhance transparency and foster productive collaboration between state and local governments. And three is to promote sustainable finance, democracy, and development at the local level of governance in the state.
Probing deeper, Governor Soludo’s approach introduces an innovative collaborative model. Under the new state laws, Local Government chairmen, convening as part of the State Economic Planning Board, will collectively decide on contributions to a joint account for common services. This structure, the governor argues, protects essential services like education and healthcare from the potential chaos of absolute autonomy while still respecting Local Government decision-making.
According to the governor, “We seek to avoid ad-hoc or arbitrary arrangements…building to last!” This sentiment emphasizes his commitment to creating enduring institutions founded on due process, transparency, and the rule of law.
The governor’s speech also highlights the tangible progress made in Anambra State under his administration. From clearing years of gratuity arrears, reforming public education, to modernising primary health centres and rejuvenating the Local Government system, Governor Soludo paints a picture of a state on a progressive trajectory. The new laws, he contends, are designed to protect these gains and strengthen the entire governance system for future generations.
Particularly poignant is Governor Soludo’s concern for workers and retirees. Recalling the struggles of the 1990s-2003 periods when some Local Government employees were unpaid, he asserts, “In Anambra, we want to ensure that we do not wake up and hear that some LGs paid salaries of primary school teachers and others did not.” For Governor Soludo, the welfare of state workers has always been paramount and cannot be traded away on the altar of some absolute LG autonomy.
As Nigeria continues to evolve its federal structure, Governor Soludo’s perspective offers a compelling model for balancing Local Government autonomy with necessary collaboration and accountability. By also empowering local legislative bodies like the Congress of Councillors while maintaining structured oversight by the State Government and State House of Assembly, Anambra’s laws represent what the governor calls “creative and progressive additions to institution-building.”
In a final definitive sense, Governor Soludo’s vision for Local Government autonomy is not just about administrative restructuring; it is about reimagining governance to better serve the Nigerian people, from the national, sub-national to the grassroots levels. As the governor eloquently puts it, “May the Federal Republic of Nigeria continue to win!”
With a leader like Governor Soludo acting boldly in crafting thoughtful solutions to complex challenges of governance, the Nigeria’s federal experiment indeed has a lot of inspiration to benefit from these thoughtful solutions