Abia LG law not in conflict with Supreme Court judgment – Otti

Governor Alex Otti has stated that the recently enacted Abia Local Government Law aligns with the spirit and objectives of the Supreme Court’s judgment on local government autonomy.

Mr Otti said this on Thursday night during his monthly media parley with journalists at the Government House, Umuahia, dubbed ‘Governor Alex Otti speaks to Abians’.

According to him, laws must be interpreted and implemented in a manner that promotes effective governance.

He argued that the objective of the Abia LG Law focuses on enhancing, not hindering, service delivery in the various local government areas of the state.

Mr Otti also said the state’s new law was designed to ensure that the objectives of the Supreme Court judgment would be practically achievable without creating dysfunction.

“The Supreme Court judgment has an intention, and the intention of any law is not to ensure a breakdown of service.

“The Supreme Court actually made a law by that judgement, and whatever we did with the law we passed was to ensure that the intended objective of that law is achieved,” he said.

He further stated that expecting local government councils to handle critical responsibilities, such as paying teachers and primary healthcare workers and managing local security, without state assistance could render some local governments unviable.

“It would be irresponsible for sub-nationals to fold their hands and watch because local governments make up the state, just like states make up the federation,” he said.

He stated that the law was not in opposition to the Supreme Court’s ruling but rather aimed to guarantee the efficient and effective execution of local government operations.

“What we tried to do is to ensure that it is implementable without creating hitches. In essence, the law aims to improve the efficiency of governance at the grassroots level and effectively meet the needs of Abia citizens,” the governor said.

The country’s apex court, on July 11, 2024, delivered a judgment granting financial autonomy to local government councils.

(NAN)