The president said his administration would support a constitutional amendment to free local governments from the stranglehold of states and better the lot of Nigerians at the community level.
“The relationship between the three tiers of government is not a very nice one, especially that between the local governments and the states. The states feel like they own the local government, if they are of the same party. It is worse if they are not. This is a very serious constitutional problem and unless there is absolute clarity and transparency, the relationship will continue to be exploited against the interest of the ordinary people of the country,” he said.
Buhari urged the ALGON executives to hold consultations with their people and lawyers with a view to presenting a bill that would seek a constitutional amendment to free the councils from the stranglehold of the states.
“This will limit the damage they can do to you. The quicker you do this the better, so that you can help your people much more,” he stated.
He acknowledged the request by the ALGON for the release of $3.2 billion wrongfully deducted by the Federal government for the final settlement of foreign debts in 2005.
The president said though the federal government recognised the judgment debt, the timing of the request for its repayment was wrong given the current economic situation in the country.
In his remarks, Acting ALGON National President, Alhaji Ibrahim Ahmed Karaye, presented a six-point demand to Buhari including the repayment of the $3.2 bn debt and the need to ensure the sovereignty of local government administration in the country.
The ALGON leaders expressed their support to the Buhari administration’s programmes on improving security, anti-corruption campaign and economic revival.
