Tinubu lauds Lagos council chiefs over court victory
By Idowu Ajanaku, Bodunrin Babatunde and Kemi Aruwaju
FOLLOWING last week's ruling by the Supreme Court against the decision of the Presidency to withhold funds due to local councils in Lagos, the state Governor, Bola Tinubu, at the weekend showered praises on chairmen of the state's 57 councils, saying their unflinching support throughout the struggle encouraged him to stand firm.
Tinubu, who spoke during a visit by the chairmen in his residence to celebrate the court judgment, equally promised to pay the November salaries of primary school teachers, assuring that the payment would not be affected by whatever delays in compliance of the Presidency with the court's ruling.
He also called on the National Assembly to enact an Act that would list the new councils, adding that the Supreme Court has performed its duty creditably, thus giving the National Assembly the initiative to complete the process.
"We must thank the Supreme Court for stimulating and reassuring Nigerians that the judiciary can do its job with courage, steadfastness and sincere commitment to the constitution", he said.
Apapa Local Council Chairman, Alhaji Munir Adekunle Muse, while presenting a "Thank You" card to the governor on behalf of his colleagues, praised Tinubu for his sterling leadership qualities.
He said all the chairmen were ready to support his political positions in 2007 because he has demonstrated that he is a true democrat who believes in the power of the people and the need to defend the interest of the state.
'Don't be bitter against Obasanjo' or the President is not to blame' - Gov. Tinubu tells Lagos council chairmen.
However, Tinubu urged the chairmen not to heap all the blame over the withholding of the funds on President Olusegun Obasanjo's shoulder.
According to him, some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State for selfish reasons have continuously urged the President to turn deaf ears to pleas from well-meaning people in the state.
Speaking to the chairmen at a "Thank You" gathering at the instance of the chairmen at the Governor's Lodge in Isaac John, Governor Tinubu said: "These people, in pursuit of their personal agenda and inordinate ambition, have consistently urged President Obasanjo to punish the people at the grassroots by making sure that the council chairmen had no money to fulfil their promises to the people, thereby making their councils ungovernable".
Meanwhile, Lagos State lawmakers in the National Assembly have began moves to ensure that the National Assembly lists the newly-created 37 local councils in line with the provision in the 1999 Constitution.
This is coming just as Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political group and the Alliance for Democracy (AD) Lagos State chapter, urged President Obasanjo to abide by the ruling of the Supreme Court and release funds to local councils in the state with immediate effect.
The move by the lawmakers, The Guardian learnt, is being championed by Senator Tokunbo Afikuyomi who is the leader of the AD caucus in the National Assembly.
Apart from Lagos lawmakers, other members of AD in both Houses are to be enlisted in the effort to convince the leadership of the National Assembly to list the local councils in accordance with the law.
Meanwhile, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, the publicity secretary of Afenifere, has described the statement credited to Senator Seye Ogunlewe and Chief Gani Fawehinmi that the Federal Government should not release funds to the local councils in Lagos State until they revert to the old 20 councils as unfortunate.
Speaking with The Guardian, Odumakin said he was sad because the statement came from lawyers who are supposed to have great respect for the Supreme Court judgment.
According to him, if Ogunlewe and Fawehinmi are insisting that the funds should not be released, under what law would President Obasanjo withhold the funds?, he asked.
In his opinion, someone like Fawehinmi should not mislead the people because of any personal ill-feelings towards the government of Lagos State.
He also asked Ogunlewe to stop playing politics with the lives of the people, saying that one day, the people will force his likes to account for their deeds.
"If Obasanjo can claim to be obeying the Supreme Court order on Oputa Panel, I think he should do the same in this matter", he said.
Chairman of Ejigbo Local Council, Deacon Ayo Ositelu, who also spoke with The Guardian on Monday, said the visit to the governor was to say "thank you" and salute his steadfastness for fighting their cause and cushioning the effects for the past eight months.
He expressed his amazement at the way the governor handled the whole exercise, saying he converted the whole situation to an opportunity to thank the council chairmen for their steadfastness.
Ositelu further stated that the governor had urged them to make sure that their priority should be roads, payment of examination fees and health centre reconstruction.
Concerning the sharing of money meant for 20 local councils within 57 councils, Ositelu said he was confident that the governor knows the right thing to do.`
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