Local governments across the country will commence a three-day warning strike starting today (Monday), to protest the refusal of the Senate to grant autonomy for local government.
The Senate had voted against local government autonomy on last week Tuesday, but the House of Representatives voted in its favour on Wednesday.
The National Union of Local Government Employee (NULGE) announced the decision after its National Executive Council meeting held recently at its national secretariat, NULGE House, Abuja.
While addressing journalists on the outcome of the meeting, at the weekend, the general secretary of the union, Joshua Irapakob, commended the members of the House of Representatives for passing the local government autonomy, adding that the House had really “averted a national catastrophe and restored people’s confidence in democratic practice.”
In contrast, he lambasted the senators for their selfishness.
He said the union had already sensitised and mobilised its members across the country for the strike, adding that “we met on July 23, where we all agreed that we should embark on three days warning strike to press home our demand.”
The Northern Local Government Chairmen Forum took the time to ask the Senate to rescind its decision rejecting fiscal autonomy to the local government councils.
Chairman of the forum and chairman of Dekina Local Government Area, Alhaji Mohammed Ali, said that financial and statutory autonomy would accelerate development at the rural level.
[Photo H/T: YNaija]