From Aniekan Aniekan, Calabar
The Cross River State House of Assembly has passed the Local Government Amendment Bill 2025.
The bill was passed after deliberating on the report of its Joint Committee on Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development, Judiciary, Public Service Matters, Public Petitions and Conflict Resolution as well as Public Accounts.
The Chairman of the Joint Committee, Hon Eyo Bassey (representing Bakassi) said the bill would facilitate lots of positive changes to the third tier of government ,adding that it will enhance economic development and growth, encourage broader and greater participation as well as enhance effective and efficient service delivery at the local government level.
However, details of the new bill as deliberated and approved by the house committee of the whole shows that it has gone against last year’s judgment of the Supreme Court, which granted full autonomy to council areas in the country.
The bill, for instance, mandates the 18 councils in the state to make a monthly deduction of one per cent from gross allocation of LGAs for House of Assembly oversight functions.
Similarly, another monthly deduction of 0.5 per cent from gross allocation of LGAs will go to the State Community and Social Development Agency.
In addition, a monthly deduction of one percent from gross allocation of LGAs will go to the funding of the University of Cross River State UNICROSS while 0.5 percent from gross allocation of LGAs is for the office of the State Auditor General.
The councils are also expected in the bill to make a monthly contribution of N1 million each for the Cross River State Reserve Fund.
In addition, a monthly deduction of 4 per cent from the gross allocation of LGAs will go to the Cross River State Road Maintenance Agency.
The new bill will also make Heads of Local Government Administration (HOLGAs) enjoy the status of Permanent Secretaries like their counterparts in the State Civil Service as a reward for hard work.