THE Federal Government, through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, inaugurated a 10-member Inter-Ministerial Committee to enforce the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on local government (LG) autonomy in Abuja, today.
Senator Akume, represented by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, announced the establishment of the committee.
The Supreme Court had, on July 11, declared the withholding of funds meant for local governments by state governors as unconstitutional.
In response, Senator Akume initiated the inter-ministerial committee to implement this decision.
In a statement, Director of Information and Public Relations in the SGF’s office, Segun Imohiosen, disclosed that Akume will chair the committee.
The committee members include key figures such as the Minister of Finance, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, the Accountant General of the Federation, and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). Representatives of state governors and local governments are also part of the committee.
The committee’s main objective is to ensure that local governments receive full autonomy, enabling them to operate independently of state government interference.
This initiative aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to upholding the constitutional provisions that recognize local governments as the third tier of government.
Justice Emmanuel Agim, in his judgment, affirmed that the Attorney General of the Federation has the authority to initiate legal action to protect the constitution.
Consequently, the Supreme Court ordered that allocations to local governments from the Federation Account be disbursed directly to them, bypassing state governments.
Justice Agim emphasized the immediate enforcement of this ruling, noting that the retention of local government funds by state governors hinders their operations.
Background
Nigeria’s 774 local government areas have faced challenges due to state governments’ control over their funds. Calls for local government autonomy have intensified in recent months, with President Bola Tinubu expressing his support.
In May, the Federal Government, through Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi, filed a lawsuit against the 36 state governors, alleging mismanagement of local government funds.
Currently, the Federal Government receives 52.68% of the country’s monthly revenue, while states receive 26.72%, and local governments receive 20.60%. However, local government funds are often deposited into a joint account managed by state governments and local authorities.
The lawsuit filed by the Attorney General of the Federation seeks to prevent state governors from arbitrarily dissolving democratically elected local councils, a practice that has been challenged on multiple grounds. The state governors have opposed the Attorney General’s action.