By DAUD OLATUNJI

ABEOKUTA— Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has called for the review of the local government laws to check  the  alleged  excesses of the state governors against  the third tier of government.

He condemned the level of performance at the local governments across the country, lamenting that the essence and ideals of the creating the crucial tier of government has been defeated.

Obasanjo stated these, weekend  when the national executives of the Association of Local Government of Nigeria, ALGON, led by the National President, Mr. Nwabueze Okafor paid him a courtesy visit  in his Abeokuta  residence.

The ex-President  declared that  review of local government laws would stop the alleged wide claim  that some states are ‘ambushing’ the council funds, which according to him,  is unconstitutional.

He said  “when we brought the reform nationally, we then said it is the third tier of government. That in other words means that the local government is the closest government  to the people.

“If the local governments are to perform, they must be ready to endure and be sustained. I do not believe that it is the responsibility of the state governments to garnish the local government money or even ask them to pay as you all know. And that is what is happening in most of the states and that is not the intention of creating the local governments.

“It is not the states that should be sitting on the local government money without recourse to their legislature and appropriation process,” Obasanjo said.

He therefore suggested that; “Since the national Assembly is talking about constitution amendments, may be it is also important to talk about amending the local government laws.

“So that there will be no  means or way the states will ambush  the local government money and there will also be a way to call the local governments to order; called to account, or  held responsible.”

In his remarks, the national president of ALGON, had earlier hinted that Obasanjo remained the father of local government administration having spearheaded the 1976 local government reforms.