Nigerians must hold themselves responsible for what is happening politically and economically in Nigeria today. The three tier government system of Nigeria is to bring development closer to home, hence there is local government with local councillors. Nigerians out of greed and crave for illegal money abandoned their local governments and went to Abuja where money is distributed in Ghana Must Go bags. You must go home to rescue your community as they need you. Charity, they say begins from home.

In the United Kingdom where I reside, local governments are responsible for their citizens’ needs. They provide housing, food and money for the unemployed and the elderly, education for the children and other things. They also provide local walk-in centres for health. It is the responsibility of local governments to provide all the amenities of life, including good roads. In the United Kingdom, one can only go to his local authority for anything and everything. The prime minister does nothing for you. She is only their for the management of the economy, security and defence. All the necessities of life are provided by the local authorities for their people.

Local government is very important to the people. They are the government that supposed to know the needs of the people because they are local and closer to the people. The chief executive of my local authority in London earns far more than the prime minister and the members of parliament. The reason for that is that the chief executive and his administration work professionally as civil services who understand the need of their people and deliver whatever services they need. In Nigeria, local government job is left for the unemployed who has never worked in his life. The chairmanship is left for the contractor who has been duping his people by delivering unprofessional work to them. The local government in Nigeria is left for the less educated and the less experienced people who have no clue of what they are supposed to be doing, and do not know the meaning of service as they work for their god-fathers in Abuja and the state in servitude. These Abuja slaves to the master must be rescued as they need help. What is happening in Nigeria is shameful as the blind is leading the half-blind. Now, it is time for people to realise that they are their own enemy, pack their bags and go home to their respective local authorities. The redevelopment of your local authority is there waiting for you. We must think twice and regain the initiatives to serve as there is honour in service.

Now then, what is the solution to our ignorance? The people of Nigeria must know that local government work is not for the novice and the unemployed; it is for the experienced and educated men and women who understand the responsibilities of meeting people’s needs. Local government job is the duty of the experienced civil servant and that experienced manager or administrator who can work to satisfy his customers. The only difference in managing local government and that medioum sized business organisation is that one declares profit and the other does not. Both of then strive to understand their customers and satisfy their needs. All the local governments in Nigeria do not lack qualified and experienced people who can take over the councillorship and the chairmanship of their local authorities; use their local resources to achieve the local needs. Local government management and elective positions should be left for those young men and women who are retired very early at the age of forty and fiftty. These people should use their wealth of experience to manage their local authorities, while the umemployed and the less educated are accommodated in the provision of service. There is job for everyone: the carpenter, the electrician, the mechanic, the road workers, the builders. There is something for everyone as the management of local authorities will use their local contents to build and repair all systems of amenities.

How can this be achieved? First, Nigerians must be educated about the enormous responsibilities waiting for them on their arrival home. There must be massive re-orientattion programme aimed at the people for the people to understand themselves, their potentials and their service for their people. Everyone must think positively about serving their people, and not ripping them off as there is honour in service. Local government job is the only job that can bring you closer to your people. You know what your people need because you are part of the people. The councillors and their chairman live locally. The have similar needs like others: good roads, water, electricity, clinics, food, shelter, sanitation and education for the children. Can Nigerians tell me why this is difficult? Can Nigerians tell me why someone should embessle the people’s fund entrusted to him? Can someone tell me the reason why the local people should keep quiet when they see these evils around them? We are are our own enemy. Go home now and corruption is dismantled in your local authority. Let us work together. Let the communities preach against local government corruption. Let the educated and the experienced people begin to educate their people on the importance of doing the right thing any time. Let the community begin now to voice out their opinions against criminology, embezzlement and unprofessional service. Unprofessional srvice is an issue as people claim to be contractors and using such avenue to dupe people.

I was duped once in Owerri by a printer who drove me to our house, collected money from me and never did the work on time. He went about calling himself honourable. Honourable indeed! Nigerians have no shame. Thousands of people in Nigeria are parading themselves as honourable for the simple reason that they bought a normination ticket. Such is false, misguiding, it is impersonation and it must be stopped. For the simple reason that you fought for election and you lost does not make you an honourable man or woman. It is only the illiterate who thinks that way. Do not get me wrong as illiteracy in my view is no longer lack of education, it is education without knowledge. The people of Nigeria have lost their bearing and we must collectively regain and re-align ourselves. What Nigerians need between now and 2019 is education of the mind. Mental re-orientation. Since the 1990s, 419 has totally ruined the children of Nigeria, especially those in the south east. The youngsters know nothing but get-rich-quick. One cannot blame the youngsters as corruption has been the only thing they see and witness since they were born. No one is promoting the benefit of education. Let us face it, we cannot do anything or progress without education. Education is not reading books and surfing on the internet, it is understanding, knowledge, experience and intelligence. We must understand what is right and what is wrong. We must understand the good and the bad. we must understand that stealing is a social evil and there is no honour in it. It brings shame to you and your people.

It is good and easy for me to state what needs to be done at the local level but to begin with, their must be a system of election for the local authorities. However, the federal government must make it mandatory for local government to be elected at the same time as presidential and governorship elections. It is wrong to leave local government election in the hands of the state governments who are themselves 419ners. It must be made illegal to delay any local government elections. In the United Kingdom, the local government is organised in May every two years. The government in power does not always control local governments. In fact, the majority of seats are usually controlled by the opposition parties. The only reason that local government in Nigeria has not been taken seriously is because the federal and state governments use it for gratification. They use local government offices to compensate their supporters. Nigerians must rise up as the federal and state governments are managed by members of organised crime, ex-419ners, rogues, former robbers and criminals. Nigerians must forget about federal and state governments as they mean nothing to an ordinary man. It is only the local government that means something to you and me. An effective and efficient local government renders both federal and state governments redundant. Federal and state governments become a talking shop as the power is residing with the local authority. What do you need federal and state governments for when all the amenities you need are provided for by the local authority?
Wake up Nigerians; pack your bag and go home to your local authority as your service to the people is more honourable than the errand boy you are in Abuja. I have said it and this is what I will do when I get to Imo House come 2019. He who has ear let him hear.

By: Oguchi Martins Egbujor