Governors across the 36 states of the federation have indicated their readiness to implement the financial autonomy granted to the local governments by the Supreme Court in July last year.
Consequently, they have directed their chairmen of local government areas (LGAs) to open their accounts for the direct disbursement of their funds from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).
It was learnt that the governors’ decision to finally embrace the autonomy for the third-tier of government was reinforced by President Bola Tinubu’s assurance that his administration was not out to take over the control of local governments from them through the apex court judgement.
Tinubu stated this in Lagos when the governors led by Vice President Kashim Shettima paid him New Year homage on Wednesday.
While receiving the governors, Tinubu stressed their critical role in driving Nigeria’s development and prosperity, saying their leadership at the subnational level was central to achieving food security, economic prosperity and rapid national growth.
The meeting was attended by members of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) at his Ikoyi residence.
Tinubu told them that, “You are the most important link to Nigeria’s prosperity and development. The federal government accounts for about 30 to 35 per cent of the allocated revenue; the rest comes to you. The agricultural value chain depends on you. You own the land, and the job is in your hands.”
He called for stronger collaboration between the federal and state governments to address pressing challenges, including local government autonomy, agricultural productivity and currency stability.
The president, who expressed his commitment to local government development and autonomy, stressed its importance for grassroots development and dispelled the rumours of disagreement with the governors.
“We will not fight within us. I will drive the change; you control your local governments. You can restore hope by effectively fulfilling what the people expect at the grassroots level.
“There was gossip that we had disagreements on local government autonomy. No. Just drive development at the local government. Nobody wants to take them away from you, but we need collaboration. Let’s do it together and ensure Nigeria is better off for it,” he said.
Prior to the meeting, there were indications that the direct disbursement of funds to the councils would begin this month.
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The state president of NULGE, Dr Kehinde Ogungbangbe, told LEADERSHIP Weekend in Osogbo that the implementation of local government autonomy was not under any threat in Osun State.
According to him, the state government took a decisive action by instructing all the local governments to open accounts so that their allocation would go directly from the Federation Account which they have done.
He said, “The first thing they did was they informed all the local governments to open an account so that the allocation will be going directly from the Federation Account which I believe they have done. We don’t have any threat at all whatsoever.
“I think the one they will receive directly from the Federation Account now will be from this next allocation (January) and the accounts in which the money will go into have been opened by all the local governments in Osun. That arrangement was coordinated by the Ministry of Local Government.”
The state commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment, Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, said since it is a federal government policy, it becomes imperative for states to key-into it and Osun State was not an exception.
He however urged the federal government to factor-in all that is necessary to be taken care of by the local governments such as payment of primary school teachers’ salaries and those of traditional rulers.
In Kwara State, some council chairmen said they were eagerly awaiting the take-off of the direct allocations from FAAC this month.
Though, ALGON leadership was yet to be constituted in the state, one of the council chairmen, Mr Femi Yusuf, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, declared, “For us council chairmen in Kwara State, we are 100 percent ready for the take-off of direct allocation from FAAC. It will fast-track the development of our local governments and state. It will complement what the governor has been doing at the state level.
“From his actions since the ruling of the Supreme Court on local government autonomy, the Kwara State governor is ready to key into that policy. We want to appreciate Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his fatherly role and what he has been putting on ground for us to have a seamless and less cumbersome transition from the old FAAC allocation system to the new order.”
Yusuf, a former chairman of Kwara State House of Assembly Service Commission and incumbent chairman of Ifelodun local government area, praised President Tinubu for supporting the granting of autonomy to the local governments in the country.
The national president of the apex socio-cultural groups in Ilorin Emirate – Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU) – Alhaji AbdulMumini AbdulMalik, enjoined the council chairmen to make judicious use of their financial autonomy to better the lives of the citizens.
“On restructuring of the polity, the people of Ilorin Emirate strongly believe in Nigeria’s unity and therefore resolved that the restructuring be limited to devolution of power. A step in the right direction in this regard, which the union commends, is the recent granting of local government autonomy.”
In Katsina State, the stakeholders have also declared their readiness to implement LG autonomy.
The state president of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Nasir Wada Mai’adua, said, “We are ready for its implementation in Katsina State. We have all the machinery in place. Technocrats, local government administrators, engineers and professionals from various fields are set for the take-off.”
The state commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs, Bishir Tanimu, reaffirmed the administration’s commitment to enforcing the autonomy of the local government system in the councils in the state.
Tanimu pledged strict oversight to ensure that the local governments operate effectively, enabling them to address grassroots’ needs and enhance development across the state.
In Niger State, NULGE and ALGON said they were ready for the implementation of the Supreme Court judgement on local government autonomy.
But the state government said it was yet to receive any workable plan on the implementation of the apex court judgement.
The state leader of NULGE and chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Comrade Idris Abdulkareem Lafene said his members were ready for the implementation of the judgement.
He said the national secretariat of the union had given them a template at the state level on how to monitor the adherence to the autonomy of the councils.
Lafene said the members of NULGE have been given the mandate to ensure that the chairmen are accountable in the handling of the funds released to them.
The chairman of ALGON and Agwara local government area, Hon Iliyasu Zakeri, said the mandate of his members is to abide by the Nigerian constitution.
The state commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Hon Muazu Jantabo, said, “As a state, we don’t have any view on how the new arrangement is going to be implemented; we don’t have any workable plan on how it will be implemented.”
He however said that many people were worried about how the new system would affect the State Universal Basic Education and other areas that were funded jointly by both the state and the councils.
In Anambra State, both the state government and councils have expressed their readiness to comply with the Supreme Court verdict on autonomy for the grassroots administration.
The state commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Chief Tony-Collins Nwabunwanne said the Chukwuma Soludo administration had begun compliance with the judgement.
He said that following the Supreme Court judgement, the state government had been crediting the accounts of the 21 local governments with their allocations from the Federation Account on a monthly basis.
He said, “We (Anambra State) are fully prepared to comply with the Supreme Court judgement on local government autonomy. We have even sensitised the elected local government officeholders on how to manage their allocations prudently. So, Anambra State government is ready to comply with the Supreme Court judgement.”
