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Former Minister of Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, has pointed out that governors are responsible for the deterioration of Local Government (LG) administration in Nigeria. He highlights the imposition of caretaker chairmen by governors and the hindrance of free and fair polls at the local government level as key factors in this decline. According to Mamora, elections in local governments are often manipulated, with opposition parties rarely winning, as governors favor their “linkmen and partymen.”
Mamora reveals his involvement in the local government chairmen’s attempt to extend their tenure from three to four years, aligning it with the state and federal levels. This move, initiated under Abdulsalami Abubakar’s administration in 1998, triggered a challenge. As the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly in 2001, Mamora explains that the extension proposal faced resistance because it contradicted Section 7 of the Constitution, which places local government matters under state jurisdiction through laws enacted by state houses of assembly.
The former minister asserts that governors’ interference in local government affairs, including tenure extensions and the appointment of caretaker chairmen, has undermined the autonomy of local government administration. Mamora’s insights shed light on the challenges faced by local governments and the need for reforms to restore effective governance at the grassroots level.
