Members of the Ondo State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) yesterday protested at the State House of Assembly in Akure.
The protesters stormed the Assembly in large numbers to dissuade the lawmakers from voting against Local Government Autonomy in the constitutional reviewed by the National Assembly.
Led by the state’s NULGE President Bola Taiwo, the protesters said they would not allow the lawmakers to enter the Assembly complex unless they pledged to support local government autonomy.
The protesters carried placards with vrious inscriptions, such as: “Yes to LG autonomy”; “Yes to judicial autonomy”; “No autonomy, No vote”, and “On autonomy we stand”.
The protesters also threatened to paralyse economic and political activities in the state, if the lawmakers refused to pass the Local Government Autonomy Bill pending before them into law.
They alleged that there was pressure from the Executive on the State Assembly to vote against local government autonomy in the constitution review being reworked out by the National Assembly.
Taiwo told the union members that 16 states had signed the Local Government Autonomy Bill into law.
The union leader noted that Ondo was one of the remaining states that had not assented to the Bill as passed by the National Assembly.
NULGE National Vice President Abimbola Babalola said the local government system must be autonomous and urged the Ondo lawmakers to do the needful.
Two lawmakers at the protest – Feyide Oluyede, representing Ose, and Tomide Akinribido, the Deputy Minority Leader representing Ondo West – debunked the allegations that they were pressured not to pass the local government autonomy.
They promised to deliver the union’s protest letter to Speaker David Oleyeloogun.
The protest forced the lawmakers to call off yesterday’s sitting to pass the 2023 Appropriation Bill into law.
Also, the Plateau State chapter of the union yesterday expressed anger with Governor Simon Lalong and members of the State House of Assembly over non-passage of the Local Government Autonomy Bill.
The unionists threatened to mobilise against any lawmaker that does not support local government autonomy and governor in the 2023 general election.
NULGE National President Olatunji Ambali issued the threat during the union’s visit to the Plateau State House of Assembly.
