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Autonomy is a Prime Factor for Development
An Address by His
Excellency ALH Abdulahi Adamu (Sarkin Yakin Keffi) The Executive Governor of
Nasarawa State to the National Assembly on the Creation of New Local Government
Areas in
Nasarawa
State
on
May 27, 2001
.
 I am here
this morning with the entire government and political leaders of
Nasarawa
State
on a single mission.
I am here with the Speaker and members of the State House of Assembly;
the Hon. Chief Judge of Nasarawa State and other Superior Court Judges;
Paramount Royal Fathers; Political Party Leaders and Political and Opinion
Leaders and leaders of Organised Civil Society from Nasarawa State.
We are here to present before the National Assembly the Bill and all
relevant documents on the creation of new Local Government Areas in
Nasarawa
State
. Our mission is a constitution
journey of faith. The government and
people of
Nasarawa
State
have unflinching faith in the
constitution and in the democratic process.
Ever before
Nasarawa State was created out of the old Plateau State, and especially after
its creation, it became patently clear and obvious that compared to other parts
of the federation, our people were unjustly treated in the various local
government creation exercises carried out in this country since 1976.
Because the process of local government creation under the military was
ruled by fiat and without adequate representation and objective guidelines, it
was subject to undue influence and arbitrariness.
And because the
communities that came to constitute
Nasarawa
State
were not visible in any of the military regimes that created local governments,
our people were short-changed. The
ultimate result was the predicament in which our state, which has a large
landmass, is densely populated, and is blessed with a huge economic potential,
found itself. It had to contend with the least representation in the country in
terms of local governments.
This ugly
situation has not only denied our people fair representation and access to
opportunities, it has denied us development at the grassroots because government
has been very remote from the people. This
situation has over the years increased our people’s feeling of alienation and
disillusionment.
Since democracy
is about the people’s aspirations for justice, for development, and for
participation, it became imperative for us to address this unacceptable
situation through the due process and within the ambience of the constitution.
We are happy to
state that today we come before you in fulfilment of that promise. We have come
to present to you the bill and proceedings of every step the government and the
people of
Nasarawa
State
took to create new local governments. This
presentation is in compliance with the enormous responsibilities the
constitution of the Federation places upon the National Assembly on this very
important subject of the creation of new local governments.
In creating new
local governments in
Nasarawa
State
, we took the pain to go through the full rigours of the constitutional
provisions. The process has taken us well over a year to arrive at the
submission we have brought before you today.
This is the proper thing to do.
The Spirit and letter of section 8 (3), (5) and 6 of the 1999
Constitution have been duly complied with in the course of this exercise and I
feel greatly honoured to present to you a resume of the steps embarked upon as
follows:
(a)
Collation of the various memoranda in compliance with section 8 (3) (a)
from the various communities agitating for the creation of additional Local
Government Areas. These memoranda
were received and appraised. These
are hereto attached and marked as annexture ‘A’ 1 – 20.
(b)
Subsequently a committee was set up to ascertain the genuineness of the
memoranda received. It then embarked
on a tour of the State and received oral presentation on the memoranda received
and came up with a report. The
report of the committee is hereby attached and marked as annexture ‘B’.
(c)
Upon the receipt of annexture ‘B’, the House of Assembly
passed a Resolution on the 23rd day of October, 2001 authorising the
State Independent Electoral Commission to conduct a referendum in the affected
areas in compliance with section 8 (3) (b).
The said Resolution is hereto annexed and marked as annexture ‘C’.
(d)
The State Independent Electoral Commission then proceeded to issue out
guidelines for the conduct of referendum which was successfully conducted on 31st
day of October, 2001.
(i)
The Nasarawa State Independent Electoral Commission guidelines for
the conduct of the referendum is hereto attached and marked as annexture
‘D’.
(ii)
Some samples of the materials used during the conduct of the
referendum which was through open – secret – ballot are hereto attached
marked and as annexture ‘E’ 1 – 10.
(iii)
The result of the referendum conducted on
31st October, 2002
is hereby attached and marked as annexture ‘F’.
(iv)
Declaration of the results of the sixteen Returning Officers dated
9th November, 2002
is hereto attached and marked as annexture ‘G’.
(v)
In compliance with the section 8 (3)
(c) of the 1999 Constitution, the result of the referendum was forwarded
to the Local Government Legislative Councils in the state for their approval.
The resolutions approving the referendum by simple majority of the
members in each Local Government Council in a majority of all the Local Councils
in the State are hereto attached and marked as annexture ‘J’.
(e)
Furthermore, in keeping with section 8 (3) (d), the result of the
referendum was forwarded to the State House of Assembly, accompanied by a Bill
indicating the proposed Local Government Areas that have satisfied the criteria
as approved by the resolution in section 8 (3) (c).
The Bill dated
21st January, 2002
forwarded the proposed Local Government Areas to be created is hereto attached
and marked as annexture ‘J’.
(f)
This Bill underwent the normal legislative processes and was eventually
passed and forwarded to my humble self for assent on the 11th day of
April, 2002. The letter of the House
forwarding the Bill is hereto attached and marked as annexture ‘K’.
(g)
In compliance with section 100 (3) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution, I,
in a ceremony which was witnessed by an unprecedented crowd at the Lafia
Township Stadium on the 17th day of April, 2002, assented to the Bill
giving it the force of law. The said
law creating additional sixteen (16) Local Government Areas in the State is
hereto attached and marked as annexture ‘L’.
(h)
The speeches of the Honourable Speaker, of the State House of Assembly
and of my humble self during the signing ceremony are hereto attached and marked
as annexture ‘M’ and ‘N’ respectively.
The Video coverage of the signing ceremony is hereto enclosed as an
exhibit.
This historic
mission which we have embarked upon has numerous dividends for our young
democracy. Several of our
communities have for decades been yearning for self-determination and self-actualisation.
Autonomy is one of the prime factors for development because it encourages local
initiative and a healthy competition between communities.
The creation of additional local governments is geared towards freeing
our communities to pursue their aspirations and to take responsibility for their
own future. This administration has
strong faith in the remarkable capacity for freedom to galvanise development
through local initiatives and through increased participation in community
development efforts and in governance at the grassroots level.
Democracy will
remain a remote idea associated only with the ritual of casting the vote in
elections if government remains far removed from the people.
In deed one of the key factors that derailed previous attempts at
democratic governance in our country was the people’s alienation and
detachment from the process. This
situation made it easier for the Military to usurp power without resistance.
And the situation will remain so unless the people are intimately
involved in the process of governance, and consider themselves as the true
masters of democratic governments. One
way of ensuring that this happens is to bring local governance closer to
grassroots communities through the creation of additional local governments.
Besides, the
closer government is to the people, the more likely it is to be accountable.
The whole process of running transparent and accountable government
cannot be divorced from its proximity to the people.
Herein lies one of the imperatives of creating additional local
governments in our state.
The foregoing salutary factors are largely responsible for the
decision by the government and people of
Nasarawa
State
to create new local
governments. We have done so in full
compliance with the constitution of the
Federal
Republic
, 1999.
In doing so we have put to rest the notorious notion that only military
regimes can create new administrative units in the country. This notion is based
on the sad fact that apart from the creation of the defunct Mid-West region in
the First Republic, and the creation of a few local government areas in the
Second republic which were all annulled by succeeding military regimes, all
existing administrative units in the country were the creation of military
governments. Yet military regimes
are the least qualified to create new administrative units.
Apart from the
arbitrariness and other abuses associated with such exercises by military
regimes, they lack the legitimacy and the capacity to be fair and meticulous as
the process is often neither transparent nor democratic.
Yet each time duly elected civilian administrations try to create new
administrative units, anti-democratic forces coalesce to frustrate the process.
The present democratic dispensation in the country owes this country a duty to
break this jinx by meeting the aspirations of our people for new administrative
units through the careful and meticulous application of the provisions of the
constitution for the creation of such administrative units.
I want to place
on record the appreciation of the government and people of
Nasarawa
State
for the kind comments leaders of the National Assembly have been making on the
processes
Nasarawa
State
followed in creating its new councils. The
leaders of the Senate are on record for praising Nasarawa and
Niger
States
for our compliance with the constitution in creating new local councils.
We feel immensely encouraged by these kind and frank comments.
We
come here believing fully in the National Assembly as the ultimate shrine of
democracy in the country. The
parliament in every authentic democracy is the embodiment of people’s
representative power. It represents
the popular will of the masses of the people.
I urge you to use your good offices and the powers conferred on you by
the constitution to correct the impression that democratic governments cannot
create new administrative units. I urge you to fulfil your own role in
scheduling our new local governments in the constitution.
Unless we learn
to do things in the constitutional and democratic way, dictatorship and
arbitrariness will continue to haunt the nation’s polity. We in
Nasarawa
State
are determined to join others in breaking this vicious circle.
We have created new local governments through the rigorous application of
the processes enshrined in the constitution.
We have all
along tabled reports of every step we took before the National Assembly for your
information and necessary action. What we are doing today is to make a formal
and symbolic presentation of the documents which we have been forwarding
piecemeal to the National Assembly on the creation of additional Local Councils
in
Nasarawa
State
.
On behalf of
the government and people of
Nasarawa
State
, I thank you very sincerely for your kind attention and for the honour granted
us to make this formal presentation to the national assembly.
Thank you and
may God bless our efforts and our country.
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