ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi has reacted to the Supreme Court judgement on the financial autonomy of local governments.
According to him, the ruling takes immediate effect.
The Supreme Court had, on Thursday, July 11, 2024, declared that it is unconstitutional for state governors to hold onto funds meant for local government administrations.
The Court also barred governors from dissolving democratically elected local government councils in the country, stating that doing so would amount to a breach of the 1999 Constitution.
In the lead judgement read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the court observed that the state government’s refusal of financial autonomy for local governments has gone on for over 20 years.
According to Justice Agim, local governments have since stopped receiving the money meant for them from the state governors who act in their stead.
He noted that the 774 local government areas (LGAs) in the country should manage their funds themselves, saying only democratically elected local government administrations are entitled to these funds and not caretaker committees.
Reacting to the landmark judgement, Fagbemi, in a chat with journalists, described it as local government emancipation.
“Naturally one would be happy, Nigerians are happy about it. I call it local government emancipation judgment because it has really emancipated the local government from the shackles of the past,” Fagbemi said.
“I hope the local government officials will seize the opportunity and look at it as an opportunity to develop their various local governments. The ball is in the courts of the governors, let us see what they will come out with. The judgement is clear as to what they should do, the judgement is clear as to what consequences attach to failure or refusal to follow the judgement of the Supreme Court which takes immediate effect.”
Also, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reacted to the Supreme Court judgement. In a statement signed by his spokesperson, Ajuri Ngelale, Tinubu said that a fundamental challenge to the nation’s advancement over the years had been ineffective local government administration, as governance at the critical cellular level of socio-political configuration is nearly absent.
He stated that the onus is now on local council leaders to ensure that the broad spectrum of Nigerians living at that level are satisfied and are benefitting from people-oriented service delivery.
He noted that the provision of some essential amenities and public goods, such as the construction and maintenance of certain roads, streets, street lighting, drains, parks, gardens, open spaces, and other residual responsibilities, including community security, had tottered owing to the emasculation of local governments.
