The Lead Director, Speak Out Africa Initiative (SOAI), Engr.. Kenneth Eze. has demanded for the inclusion of the local government authority at the Federal Account Allocation Committee meetings amongst other demands.
Eze said this would ensure the effectiveness of the Financial Autonomy.
Eze also asked for political Autonomy by calling on the Independent National Electoral Commision (INEC) to conduct all local government elections to ensure fairness for the local authority.
Other demands made by Eze include, asking the CBN to make it mandatory for LGA to have account with Bank and asking development partners to support the Open Government Partnership (OGP) at the local government level
The lead Director, stated this during The Local Open Governànce Initiative in Nigerià (LOGINAIJA) close out session and the presentation of Report for the pilot LGA.
Speak Out Africa Initiative is a non-governmental organization focused on empowering marginalized communities, particularly women and youth, through evidence-based advocacy, capacity building, and service delivery. Whose mission is to prioritizes gender equity, health advocacy, and social inclusion .
According to Eze, LOGINAIJA which aim to access the workings and the functionality of the Local Government Areas to make work was launch in April 2024 with the objective promoting Accountability at the local level, building capacity for the personnels and political office holders at the local level and the domestication of the freedom of Information Act at the grassroot “.
The LOGINaija project is a 12-month pilot initiative implemented by Speak Out Africa Initiative (SOAI) to strengthen Open Government Partnership (OGP) adoption at Nigeria’s local government level. The project focuses on three pilot LGAs:
” This pilot phase was carried out in the selected three Local Government Areas in Nigerià, Gwagwalada Area Council in FCT, Umuahia North LGA in Abia State and the Ibadan NorthWest LGA of Oyo State which represent the Zones in the country and cut across political party lines and we are happy to announce that today’ this three LGA has performed creditably with functional Website, freedom of information desk officers in place and we have strengthened the capacity of both the executive and the legislative arms of the three Local Government. we expect to scale it up to 50 LGA in the second phase of the project “.
“We in speak out Africa are thanking the Mac- Arthur Foundation that supported this project, and other partner for making this a reality.
The Executive Chairman, Umuahia North Local Government Area. Hon. Smart Iheoma, while appreciating all what has done by the speak out Africa Initiative to the LGA, said “the problem we have as a nation is leadership, what we met on ground was not good but we have turn around every aspect of the LGA and the people are the beneficiary of this positive reforms, we are following the footsteps of His Excellency the Governor of Abia State who came with capacity to build the State and he is the best so far”. Iheoma said
