Senate Chief Whip, Mohammed Ali Ndume, has commended President Bola Tinubu’s administration for taking legal action at the Supreme Court, leading to a landmark ruling that has established a new financial framework for local government councils nationwide.
News About Nigeria reports that Ndume praised the move on Friday, acknowledging the huge impact it will have on the financial autonomy of local governments.
In its judgement, the apex court directed that local government allocations from the Federation Account should be paid directly to them, from now on.
The Supreme Court declared that it was unconstitutional for state governors to hold onto funds meant for local government areas.
In its lead judgement, read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the highest court in Nigeria, observed that the refusal of state governments to give financial autonomy to local governments has gone on for over two decades.
Justice Agim said 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 councils in the country should manage their funds themselves. The revered Justice dismissed the defendants’ preliminary objections (state governors).
In a statement made available to newsmen, Ndume described the judgment as the biggest achievement of President Tinubu so far since he assumed office in May 2023.
The Borno South lawmaker also called on President Tinubu to immediately commence the implementation of the court judgement without further delay, noting that the people at the grassroots must begin to feel the impacts of good governance.
The former Leader of the Senate said since state governors hijacked the local government administration in Nigeria by relying on a controversial section of the 1999 Constitution as amended, no meaningful development has happened at the grassroots.
He said: “This court action instituted at the behest of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is his biggest achievement. I’m very happy about the development, and I’m hoping that this will be the beginning of the liberation of local governments in Nigeria.
“I urge the President to immediately commence the implementation of the Court judgment. Local government councils need to start getting their monthly allocations immediately without any further delays. The people at the grassroots level will begin to feel the impacts of good governance now.
“The National Assembly made several attempts to amend the 1999 Constitution and address this grey area. But governors didn’t allow the state assemblies to give constitutional concurrence. That was how the attempts failed.
“President Muhammadu Buhari also tried to intervene. The governors didn’t allow him. With this Supreme Court judgment, the issue has finally been resolved. No more unnecessary deductions from funds earmarked for local governments.
“The people can now hold the Council chairmen accountable for how they spend their monthly allocations. They’ll begin to demand true accountability and judicious use of the funds they’ll be getting. I salute the courage of President Tinubu.”
