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A bill seeking the
alteration of the 1999 Constitution to create absolute financial
autonomy for the 774 local government areas in the country scaled
through second reading yesterday in the House of Representatives.

Leading the debate
on the general principles of the bill, its sponsor, Barnabas Bala (PDP,
Kaduna) said that in spite of the 20.6 percent revenue allocation from
the federation account to the councils, not much has been achieved in
the transformation of the rural areas.

The lawmaker stated that between 1999 and 2008 alone,

about N5 trillion
was disbursed to the councils from the Federation Account, adding that
this figure does not include the internally generated revenue of the
councils.

Mr Bala, who
wondered why there have not been commensurate developments in the rural
Communities, called for the alteration of section 162 of the
constitution to substitute subsections 5 and 6 with new paragraphs.

According to him,
subsection 5 should be altered to read: “The amount standing to the
credit of local government councils in the federation account shall be
distributed among the local government councils in a manner to be
prescribed by the National Assembly,” while section 6 should read “Each
local government council shall maintain a consolidated local government
account into which shall be paid all allocations to the councils from
the federation account, state allocations and locally generated
revenue.” The lawmaker also called for the deletion of subsection 7and
8 of section 162.

He argued that the
proposed amendment when achieved, will grant the local governments
autonomy from the state governments, which he said have been running
the councils like government departments under their jurisdictions.

Slot for women

Also on Wednesday,
the House rejected another amendment to the constitution seeking to
make it mandatory for 35 percent to be reserved for women in all
federal government ministerial and other appointments.

Binta Garba (PDP,
Adamawa) who sponsored the amendment wanted the alteration of sections
14(3), 147(3) and 223(2b) by inserting relevant words to give the 35
percent reserved slot to women in government appointments.

She argued that if
the sections are amended it will be in tandem with various treaties and
conventions the country was signatory to.

Abike Dabiri-Erewa
(ACN, Lagos), Khadijat Bukar Abba-Ibraim (ANPP, Yobe) and Saudatu Sani
(PDP, Kaduna), all female, supported the bill.

Ita Enang (PDP,
Akwa Ibom), however, advised the House against passing the bill,
pointing out that it was contrary to the spirit of section 42 of the
1999 Constitution, which he said was against all forms of
discrimination.

The bill was defeated when the Speaker, Dimeji Bankole put it to vote.