The Chartered Institute Of Local Government and Public Administration Of Nigeria has called on both the Federal and state governments to allow INEC take over the conduct of local government elections across the country.
It said that this would help to achieve democracy at the grassroots levels.
The Registrar of the Institute ,Dr Uche Okereke, said this at the investiture of fellows, and the induction of members and associates by the institute on Saturday in Lagos.
The News Agency reports that 108 fellows,368 members and 400 associates were inducted as chartered public administrators.
NAN also reports that the institute exclusively regulates and plays a vital role in the training,development and practice of local government and public administration in Nigeria.
Okereke said that the major problem at the local government level was lack of autonomy because state governments were controlling local government elections due to political power.
“Autonomy is a constitutional issue,at the last conference of the institute we proposed constitutional amendment that will legalise local government autonomy on which we had sent our communique to the National Assembly.
“An expert in public administration and local government should be in local government affairs not just anybody due to influence,” Okereke said.
He also said that the induction ceremony was a time when they certified the fellows, members and associates that had been undergoing training for a year across the country.
“This is our second induction ceremony since we started implementing fully the professional examination syllabus.
“This set is the first to write the examination which means they are truly chartered administrators.
“My advice to the inductees is that they should go out and show the world the difference between administrators and non- administrators,” Okereke said.
Also speaking, the President of the Council, Prof. Adekinke Awotokun, said that the aim of the institute was to play a vital role in the development and training of high qualified manpower for local governments and the public sector in the areas of administrations.
Awotokun said that the institute had over 8,000 members and 7,000 students thst had registered as at Sept. 30, 2017.
One of the inductees, Mrs Sunmbo Oyeleke, said that she was trained to contribute her quota to the development and growth of public administration in Nigeria.
Oyeleke said that she gained a lot of new knowledge on how to work perfectly as an expert in public administration in a unique way.
“I have been looking forward to becoming a chartered public administrator and today I have realised that dream,” she said.
