The Supreme Court has ordered the federal government to directly disburse allocations to local government councils from the federation account.
News About Nigeria reports that this judgement was delivered by a seven-member panel of justices on Thursday.
They unanimously agreed that state governments have been misusing their powers by withholding and utilising funds intended for local government areas (LGAs).
The federal government had filed a lawsuit against the 36 state governors at the Supreme Court in May, seeking complete autonomy for the country’s 774 local governments.
The suit, marked SC/CV/343/2024, aimed to address the long-standing issue of state governments’ interference with local government funds.
The Supreme Court made these pronouncements in its ongoing judgement in the suit filed by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) seeking full autonomy for the LGAs.
The Supreme Court’s ruling is a significant victory for local government autonomy and a major setback for state governments’ dominance over local funds.
The judgement implies that local government councils will now receive their allocations directly from the federation account without interference from state governments.
This decision is expected to have far-reaching implications for grassroots development and democracy in Nigeria.
The Supreme Court has empowered these councils to fulfill their constitutional responsibilities and provide essential services to their communities by ensuring direct funding for local governments.
The ruling also underscores the need for fiscal federalism and the principles of decentralisation, which are essential for Nigeria’s democratic growth and development.
The federal government’s victory in this suit is a significant milestone in the country’s quest for true federalism and local government autonomy.
