Life and Peace Development Organisation, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has called for transparency and accountability to enhance good governance in the Local Governments (LGs) across the country.
Mr Franklin Oloniju, LAPDO Executive Director, made this known on Tuesday in Akure during a stakeholders workshop with the directors of budget in the LGs, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and others.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that five LGs in Ondo State; Ile-Oluji/Okeigbo; Akure North; Akure South; Ondo West; and Owo, participated in the workshop.
Oloniju said that the workshop was supported by the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Organisation (FCDO) of the British Government.
He explained that the exercise would help LGs to be able to strengthen and develop their procurement plans and also be able to work around budget transparency.
According to him, it has become imperative for LGs to put in place system and processing which will ensure that whatever comes in is judiciously spent.
“LGs must be ready to imbibe new ideologies as related to how to do things better. The supreme court ruling has strengthened their power for them to take charge of procurement processes.
“Now that autonomy has been granted to the LG, it behoves on them to ensure that there is transparency and accountability for the betterment of the public in the area.
“Without strong transparency and accountability, there wouldn’t be any development in the LGAs.
“It will be good for the public to say that with what the Federal Government has done in terms of autonomy, improvement has come to LGAs, which has enhanced their development,” he said.
He, therefore, charged LG staff to be ready to accept and ‘run with’ autonomy, and urged them to have the capacity to evaluate their work.
Earlier, Mr Bayo Ilawole, Permanent Secretary, Ondo State Local Government Service Commission, appreciated the organisers of the workshop, and urged LGs to adhere to rules and regulations for development to thrive.
“I believe the surpreme court judgment on LG autonomy will bring transformation and development, because the tier is the closest to the people.
“Moreover, if the LG is functioning well, there will be less attention and dependence on the state, as well as Federal Government,” he said.
Ilawole also called for more employment into the LG due to the need for human capacity management and development for better service delivery.
One of the participants, Mr Jonathan Babatola, Executive Director of Pace Setter for Youth Development initiative, said that transparency and accountability would increase the presence of governance, if adopted by all.
“What we currently have today can not deliver development at the LG levels because the role of the LG has been eroded.
“Now that there is autonomy, there is going to be more pressure on the LG, there is going to be more funds and more funds will definitely call for more responsibility,” he said.