DEVOLUTION OF POWER.
Issues of revenue-sharing, resource control and sharing formula, among the different tiers of government are some of the elements that define true federalism.
These have become highly emotive issues in Nigeria, because of structural imbalances in the polity and abuses in revenue collection, allocation and spending, with high revenue-yielding sources exclusively controlled by the Federal Government.
Calls for region-based restructuring come about because each region then was free to raise taxes/generate its revenue and spend same on its chosen development projects, thereby creating positive inter-region competition.
Police: The under performance of the Nigeria Police has led to the proliferation of ‘self-help’ social groups, like the local vigilantes and militias. The development clearly underlines the need for community-based policing.
Local government administration: The present local government system lacks capacity to generate sufficient funds to finance its development projects, and the current structure of both the federal and state governments cannot effectively deliver on every local/community development demand.
Transferring such powers to states/regions may become necessary.
However, it is apparent that given years of exploitation and dominance by state governments there is need for some element of constitutional guarantees to ensure that local governments are sufficiently empowered politically and materially by both Federal/States/regions, respectively, to carry out its role effectively.
Traditional institutions: Regions/states/communities should help/support traditional institutions in their domains so as to encourage the growth and sustenance of tradition and cultural heritage.
Legally defining any roles for traditional institutions would be pointless, because they are essentially non-democratic.
Recommendations:
Whatever structure or system of government is eventually adopted, Labour is for the derivation principles that would include non-oil resources. But matters of revenue-sharing between the federating units, especially if, and when powers are devolved away from the centre, should be mutually worked out.
2.On Police, Labour supports clear constitutional provisions and jurisdictional clarifications on the creation of a two-tiered police: Federal and Regional state/ community force.
In the event that the current structure is sustained, Labour calls for the scrapping of the State Joint LG Account, and the constitutional strengthening of the LG system.
3.In this regard, after the first line charge of payment of teachers’ salaries, payment of pension to local government staff and training of personnel as well as payment of local government workers’ salaries, the balance of local government funds should be strictly for the duties and general administration of the local government, as provided for in the constitution. Such constitutional guarantee should equally ensure that local government workers and other working people at the grassroots continue to benefit from minimum wage provisions and organisation of their workers both at the Federal, states/regions.
4. It is the considered view of Labour that there should be no constitutionally defined roles for traditional institutions in the country.
