Widespread ignorance of vital roles which local governments play in nation building is responsible for calls to scrape them, National President, Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Prince Kingsley Ugo Ogba has said.

Speaking during a national stakeholders' summit on local governments in Abuja yesterday, Ogba said most of the attacks on the local government system "have been coming either as a result of misinformation of the situation or in response to the alleged failure of the third tier of government in meeting the yearnings of the people."

The summit was organised, among other aims, to identify the gains made by the local governments over the years as well as chart a course for improving effective service delivery by the local governments in the country.

According to Ogba, the summit was intended to enable all stakeholders review the progress so far made in building the local government system in the last 33 years and to chart the way forward.

"The outcome of this summit will form the anchor of the position paper to be presented by NULGE on behalf of other stakeholders to the National Assembly Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution" he added.

A resource person, Richard Akinnola who is the Chairman, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), charged participants to work towards restructuring the system for greater efficiency.

He said, "Local government councils must become institutions that respect law, order, established regulations and procedure as well as have a plan that is clear and has real potential of taking the system to the attainment of their set objectives."

Goodwill messages were delivered by the President of Nigeria Labour Congress, Comrade Abdulwahed Omar, Kaduna State Deputy Governor, Chief Ibrahim Yakowa and the Minister of Labour and Productivity, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode