President Bola Tinubu has expressed satisfaction with the autonomy granted to Nigeria’s 774 local government councils in the latest Supreme Court judgment on the matter.
In a unanimous judgment read last Thursday by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the court said the action of governors, holding onto funds due to LGAs, runs foul against Section 162 of the 1999 constitution. Specifically, the court said the state Houses of Assembly have no business to reduce the flows meant for LGAs or put the funds in “participatory bodies.” The court, therefore, stressed further that LGAs must be governed by democratically elected persons.
Local Government Autonomy: 6 Facts from the Supreme Court Ruling
On his part, Tinubu commended the verdict as one that is very consistent with the pre-assertives of the constitution in relation to the rights of local governments, which, according to him, is a decisive step towards the effective running and administration of local government councils for the overall good of the nation.
In his words, Tinubu called on local council executives to make sure their services are people-oriented, as the judgment guarantees accountability and responsible use of the resources of the public.
“This Renewed Hope Agenda is about the people of this nation at all levels; this judgment enables our people, particularly the poor, to assert accountability on the grassroots level of government. The commitment of our administration to bring relief to our people is evidenced by this suit,” Tinubu commented.
He concluded that the judgment was a strong affirmation that legitimate redress could restructure Nigeria into a better and fairer society.
