The decision by the Senate to explore means of freeing the third tier of government from the apron strings of the states is welcome. This is especially so coming just about a week after President Bola Tinubu has gone before the Supreme Court to resolve whether the state governments have the right to exercise control over the funds due to the governments closest to the people.

While debating the possibility of channelling funds to them directly from the Federation Account, the senators lamented what has become of the tier of government constitutionally and historically saddled with sanitation, inner roads maintenance, managing markets and chieftaincy matters. In addition, the local governments are expected to handle primary education and primary health care. If the funds due to them from the Federation Account are allowed to flow as expected, as well as the internally generated funds from the markets, tenement rates and rates from the markets, governance would be more effectively discharged in the country.

Besides, that tier of government would then be a good source of recruitment and training of leaders who would then graduate to higher levels. As the senators pointed out during the debate, democracy would have been deepened in more than six decades after independence if the government closest to the grassroots had been permitted to play their roles.

We must however point out that the other leg of the motion calling for abolition of the State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) calls for a deeper look. First, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that has been complaining that it is not in a position to take on more roles, such as prosecution of electoral offenders, may be reluctant to take up the new responsibility, even though its chairman, Professor Mahmud Yakubu, has lent its voice to denunciation of election being conducted by the SIECs nation-wide.

If the role is handled by INEC, it will further expose the commission to

political vilification by those who will contend that it is being controlled by the party in charge of the Federal Government.

But our experience in the past 25 years of the Fourth Republic during which the states have been in charge of local governments is a flagrant disregard for the law. Some states have not held elections at that level despite clear constitutional provision that only elected local government councils are permitted. Where elections are conducted by SIECs constituted by the governors, they are more of selection than election.

So, if SIECs are to continue conducting the elections, who should fund them and how? The constitution should be amended to ensure a uniform system of electing the officials, with the tenure spelled out by the grundnorm. That should cure the aberration of having caretaker committees imposed by governors who could also fire members at will.

It is a dilemma if direct allocation for them from the Federation Account should be enshrined in the Constitution. Where this is the case, and coupled perhaps with INEC conducting elections, the officials would be beholding to the Federal Government, and hardly a cure for the anomaly now. And, where states run the local councils, they will continue to be departments of the state ministry of local government and chieftaincy affairs.

It is good that the President has referred issues relating to funding the tier of government to the Supreme Court that is a policy court. It is expected that the apex court will expeditiously look into the letters and spirit of the constitution in adjudicating the matter. Nigeria needs to put a final seal on the lingering dispute.

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