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Actualising local government autonomy our priority — Speaker
By Matthew Denis, Abuja
The Speaker of the House of Representatives Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has said that the 10th Assembly has taken steps that are targeted at actualising local governments autonomy for the people at grassroots.
He made the disclosure on Thursday at the day-two of the ongoing ‘Open Week’ celebration to mark the first anniversary of the 10th House, noted that it is in furtherance of the objectives that the House constituted two special Standing Committees to drive the process of actualising constitutional autonomy for Local Governments, as well as granting recognition to traditional institutions in Nigeria.
The Speaker said, “The 10th House, under my leadership, will do its best to give recognition to the traditional rulers during our constitution amendment exercise. Many amendments were made in the past to grant constitutional recognition to traditional rulers, but they never saw the light of day.
“Because most of us in the House honestly believe that traditional institutions are the backbone of our society, we believe that the welfare of our people will be enhanced with a legal role for the traditional institutions.
“We also believe the security of our country will be more enhanced if the traditional institutions are given better roles. That’s the reason from the onset, we decided to create Committees, two different ones, actually.
“One of them is the Committee on Traditional Institutions to drive the process of giving legal recognition to the traditional institutions in this coming constitutional amendment. The second one is the Committee on States and Local Governments,
“If we must make headway with the ongoing constitution amendment, state governments, State Houses of Assembly, Local Government Councils and their councilors must be considered. That’s the reason we decided that another committee dealing with issues of States and Local governments should come on board.
“These two Committees, we believe, will drive the process of reaching out to critical stakeholders in the states to ensure that the goal of local government autonomy is realised,” he said.
Also contributing to the conversation as panellists were traditional rulers led by the Etsu Nupe Alhaji Yahaya Abubakar, the Chairman, Niger State Council of Traditional Rulers, who recalled the historical background of traditional institutions in Nigeria.
He added that during the colonial era, the traditional institution was already established, which was why the colonialists went through the institution to administer their rules.
“So, we are urging this Assembly to use the ongoing constitution review exercise to re-establish the roles of traditional institutions in the country so that we can assist governments at all levels to monitor and maintain security and peace in our various domains,” Etsu stated.
Also making case for traditional institutions having constitutional roles is the Nigerian Bar Association represented by the President, Yakubu Maikyau (SAN), who urged the leadership of the 10th National Assembly to revisit all legal and legislative encumbrances hindering the realisation of the full potential of traditional institutions in the country.
He commended the Speaker for championing the cause of returning traditional institutions to their glory days by carving roles for them in the constitution, free from the overbearing influence of political actors.
He noted that for such roles to be effective and sustainable, the constitution must also take care of the issue of job security for the traditional rulers, whom he said are currently at the mercy of politicians.
Other panellists representing traditional substitutions from various parts of the country, as well as Members of the House also made a case for the constitutional recognition of traditional institutions for the purposes of complementing government’s efforts toward maintaining peace and security.
They specifically harped on the need to create line items in the budget with a view to funding activities of traditional rulers in their various domains towards fighting insecurity and promoting peaceful coexistence among their subjects among others.
A 27-year-old employee of KAM Steel Integrated Company, Yahaya Ibrahim, was crushed to death by an engine roller at the company’s factory along the Sagamu-Ogijo Expressway in Ogun State.
The incident occurred at 4:50 am on Sunday, July 7, 2024, when the deceased slipped and fell on the machine while working at the company’s plant.
It was gathered that efforts by other staff members to rescue the victim were unsuccessful, as the roller crushed him to death.
The spokesperson of the State Police Command, Omolola Odutola, who confirmed the incident on Sunday stated that the deceased’s body had been taken to the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital morgue.
“Our men on traffic inspection visited the scene when we received a distress call. It was an industrial accident. The body has been deposited at the OOUTH morgue in Sagamu,” Odutola stated.
Obasa said this in an interview with the newsmen on the sidelines of the launch of the Ibile Muslim Community Zakat and Sadaqah Foundation in Lagos.
He said that there was need for such legislation.
The foundation was launched at a public presentation sponsored by Lotus Bank in Lagos.
It aims to empower less privileged Muslims and alleviate poverty by promoting Zakat, Sadaqah, and Waqf.
Obasa explained that the proposed law would empower the state government and foundations like the Ibile Muslim Community Zakat and Sadaqah Foundation to regulate aid soliciting.
According to him, the law will also ensure donations reach the needy without them having to beg on the streets.
He noted that the rising number of beggars in Lagos necessitated this regulation.
“We are looking at how we can manage such situations to stop beggars from parading the streets of Lagos begging for alms.
“Following such legislation, anyone caught begging on the streets or aiding such, particularly among children, would also be sanctioned according to the law,” Obasa said.
Speaking on the foundation’s launch, Obasa highlighted the benefits of Zakat, which helps both payers and beneficiaries by eradicating poverty.
“It is important for anyone blessed by God to reach out to the less privileged.
“This should start from the immediate family and extend to every other member of society.
“The essence is to make everyone equal, or at least to move people from poverty and make them feel comfortable,” he added.
Sheikh Sulayman Nolla, Chairman of the Board of Trustees for the Ibile Muslim Community Zakat and Sadaqah Foundation, emphasised the foundation’s goal of unifying all Muslims in Lagos.
Nolla, also the Grand Chief Imam of Lagos, noted that the foundation serves all, regardless of religious background, and aims to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor by pooling resources.
Mrs Kafilat Araoye, Managing Director of Lotus Bank, stated that the bank is supporting the foundation financially, technically, and administratively, ensuring adherence to Sharia and Islamic finance principles.
Araoye stressed the need for permanent solutions to poverty rather than temporary palliatives, given the country’s current economic realities.
Zakat is the third pillar of Islam, requiring eligible Muslims to donate a portion of their wealth annually to aid the poor.
It is typically 2.5 per cent of a Muslim’s total savings and wealth above a minimum amount, or “nisab,” each lunar year.
Sadaqah is a voluntary charitable act, while Waqf is an Islamic endowment of property for charitable or religious purposes.
The Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) on Sunday advised Nigerians not to engage in panic buying of fuel for stockpiling purposes.
Its Executive Secretary, Mr Clement Isong, gave this advice in an interview with the newsmen due to the ongoing queues at filling stations across Lagos.
Isong explained that the shortfall of product in most stations was due to adverse weather and hunderstorms that delayed ship-to-ship (STS) trans-loading, among others.
Others, he said, included berthing at jetties, truck load-outs and transportation of products to filling stations, creating a disruption in station supply logistics.
He noted that the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) had also warned that the loading of petrol should be avoided during rainstorms and lightening.
Isong emphasised that petroleum products were flammable and required transportation, dispensation, consumption and storage in strictly controlled and regulated manners.
“Any deviation from these regulations poses significant danger and risks, including fatalities.
“We wish to reiterate that there is no cause for alarm. We strongly urge Nigerians to avoid panic buying or stockpiling of petrol.
“This behaviour not only creates artificial scarcity but also poses a significant safety hazard,” Isong said.
He added that the delay in loading petroleum products at depots due to storms contributed to the shortfall of stocks in filling stations.
“Many trucks could not load product for over 48 hours during the storm.
“Now that the weather is clear, marketers have begun loading, and all trucks have commenced distribution of fuel to all stations across the country.
“We want to assure Nigerians that there is no scarcity, and they should not stock petrol at home,” he said.
He recalled that Malam Mele Kyari, the Group CEO, NNPC Ltd., had said that the Customs had inaugurated a team named, “Operation Whirlwind” to combat the smuggling of petroleum products to neighbouring countries.
He quoted Kyari as saying that the the team would protect the nation’s economy from the adverse effects of smuggling petroleum products.
Isong also mentioned that illegal smuggling of the product to neighbouring countries had increased the country’s consumption to between 58 to 60 million litres per day.
To address this, he noted that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPCL), had tightened up the supply chain to avoid illegal smuggling.
According to Isong, NNPCL is buying and importing petrol at international prices and selling at a considerably domestic price. newsmen who monitored the situation in Lagos, reported that queues for petrol have resurfaced in parts of the city, with fuel stations packed with vehicles waiting to fill their tanks.
The long queues extended to road networks, causing gridlock in some areas.
Some consumers were also seen queuing at closed filling stations in hopes of accessing the product.
Long queues were observed at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) stations on Ikorodu Road, Fadeyi, Bariga, and the Ogba axis of Lagos.
Similar situations were seen at NIPCO stations in Fadeyi, Surulere, and Ago Palace Way.
In Epe, queues for petrol were prevalent at T-Tap, TotalEnergies, Enyo and Petrocam.
In Ikorodu Town, vehicles were lined up at Mobil, TotalEnergies, NIPCO, and Malo stations at Odogunyan First Gate.
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