LG Autonomy: Supreme Court Rules Against State Govs, Orders Direct Funding Of LG

The Supreme Court of Nigeria has granted full autonomy to local governments, declaring it unconstitutional for state governors to hold onto funds meant for local government administrations.

In a landmark judgment, Justice Emmanuel Agim stated, “The refusal of state governments to grant financial autonomy to local governments has gone on for over two decades. It is time for this to change.”

The apex court ruled that the 774 local government councils in the country should manage their funds themselves, without interference from state governors.

Justice Agim emphasized that the state governors’ retention of funds meant for local governments truncates the latter’s activities.

“The local governments should be paid their allocations directly, and not to state government coffers,” Justice Agim ordered.

“No state government should be paid monies meant for local governments. This judgment should be complied with immediately.”

BIGPEN NIGERIA (https://bigpenngr.vom) reports that the judgment is a huge victory for local government autonomy in Nigeria, and a boost to the federal government’s efforts to ensure that local governments receive their rightful allocations.

RecLls that President Bola Tinubu had recently stated, “Local government autonomy is essential for the development of our nation. We must ensure that our local governments have the resources they need to serve their communities effectively.”