TheCable

Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the house of representatives, says the national assembly alone cannot decide full autonomy for local governments.

Speaking during a leadership capacity training for councillors in Delta state, Gbajabiamila said the state assemblies must be carried along in the process.

He added that not up to two-third of the state lawmakers voted in support of the move when they last considered it.

There has been a debate on the need for full autonomy for the state legislature to enable them to perform better.

An ongoing strike by the Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) is also seeking to get the federal government to approve financial autonomy for the state legislature.

In his remarks at the workshop on Monday, Gbajabiamila said it is up to Nigerians to decide whether to have local government autonomy or not as the constitutional amendment process is still on.

“We did it the last time but when we went back to the states, we could not get the required two-thirds. So it is a process and we have followed the process,” he said.

“While we were working on constitutional amendment, two-thirds of the states did not agree with us. So it is certain that it is the people that will decide whether they want autonomy for local government or not.”

The speaker added that lawmakers in the ninth assembly would continue to do their best in the overall interest of Nigerians.

He said the best place to start exhibiting the potential of leadership is at the local government level, as it is “the bedrock of democracy and the closest to the grassroots.”

“It is important to know what it takes to have followers. As leaders, you must understand that you have followers and you have to deal with them on the issues of governance,” he said.