In July of last year, the Supreme Court gave local governments financial autonomy, and governors in all 36 states of the federation have stated that they are prepared to put this autonomy into effect.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
In order to get their monies directly from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC), they have instructed their local government area (LGA) chairmen to open their accounts.
It was discovered that President Bola Tinubu’s promise that his administration would not attempt to usurp local governments’ authority through the ruling of the highest court strengthened the governors’ resolve to eventually accept autonomy for the third level of government.
When the governors of Lagos, led by Vice President Kashim Shettima, honored him on Wednesday for the New Year, Tinubu said as much.
As he welcomed the governors, Tinubu emphasized their vital role in propelling Nigeria’s progress and prosperity, stating that achieving food security, economic success, and swift national expansion depended heavily on their subnational leadership. Members of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) attended the meeting at his home in Ikoyi.
crucial connection to the growth and prosperity of Nigeria. About 30 to 35 percent of the allotted revenue goes to the federal government; the remainder is your responsibility. You are the link in the agricultural value chain. The job is in your hands, and you control the land.
To address urgent issues including local government autonomy, agricultural production, and currency stability, he urged the federal and state governments to work together more closely.
The president refuted the rumors that he disagreed with the governors and emphasized the significance of local government autonomy and growth for grassroots development. “We will not quarrel among ourselves. You are in charge of your local governments; I will spearhead the change. Restoring hope can be achieved by successfully meeting grassroots expectations.
Rumor had it that we disagreed on the autonomy of local governments. No. Simply push for local government growth. We must work together, yet no one wants to take them away from you. He stated, “Let’s work together to make sure Nigeria benefits from it.”
The direct distribution of funding to the municipalities was expected to start this month, according to indications before to the conference. According to an online news outlet and a national daily (not LEADERSHIP Weekend), the councils’ accounts would start receiving payments in January.
Several high-ranking state officials and council chairmen told our journalists they were aware of the situation. The government of Osun State claimed to have complied with the federal government’s order for states to open accounts in order to receive local government funding from FAAC.
Dr. Kehinde Ogungbangbe, the state president of NULGE, told LEADERSHIP Weekend in Osogbo that there was no threat to Osun State’s adoption of local government autonomy.
He claims that the state administration made a bold move by directing all local governments to open accounts, which they have done, so that their funding will come straight from the Federation Account. In order for the allocation to come straight from the Federation Account, they first advised all local governments to open accounts, which I believe they have done,” he stated. There is absolutely no threat to us.
“All of the local governments in Osun have opened the accounts into which the funds will be deposited, and I believe that the one they will receive straight from the Federation Account now will come from this upcoming allocation (January).” The Ministry of Local Government was in charge of organizing that arrangement.
Since it is a federal government policy, states must adhere to it, and Osun State was no exception, according to Oluomo Kolapo Alimi, the state commissioner for information and public enlightenment.
He encouraged the federal government, however, to take into account everything that needs to be handled by the local governments, including paying the wages of traditional rulers and elementary school instructors. Chairmen of several councils in Kwara State expressed their eagerness for the direct allocations from FAAC to begin this month.
“For us council chairmen in Kwara State, we are 100 percent ready for the takeoff of direct allocation from FAAC,” said Mr. Femi Yusuf, one of the council chairmen, speaking on behalf of his colleagues, despite the fact that ALGON leadership had not yet been established in the state. It will accelerate the growth of our state and municipal administrations. At the state level, it will support the governor’s efforts.
The governor of Kwara State is prepared to implement the policy based on his activities following the Supreme Court’s decision on local government autonomy. We would like to express our gratitude to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for his fatherly role and the efforts he has been making to ensure a smooth and less difficult transition from the previous FAAC allocation system to the new one.
Former Kwara State House of Assembly Service Commission chairman Yusuf, who is currently the chairman of the Ifelodun local government area, commended President Tinubu for his support of giving the nation’s local governments more authority.
Alhaji AbdulMumini AbdulMalik, the national president of the Ilorin Emirate Descendants Progressive Union (IEDPU), the country’s top sociocultural organization, urged the council chairmen to use their financial independence wisely in order to improve the lives of the populace.
Regarding polity restructuring, the people of Ilorin Emirate decided that it should only involve the devolution of authority because they firmly believe in Nigeria’s unity. The union praises the recent granting of local government authority as a positive step in this approach.
In Katsina State, the interested parties have likewise stated that they are prepared to adopt LG autonomy. “In Katsina State, we are prepared for its implementation,” stated Nasir Wada Mai’adua, the state president of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE). We’ve set up all the equipment. Engineers, technocrats, officials from local governments, and experts from a variety of disciplines are prepared for takeoff.
The administration’s determination to uphold the autonomy of the local government system in the state’s councils was reiterated by Bishir Tanimu, the state commissioner for local government and chieftaincy affairs. Tanimu promised rigorous control to make sure local governments run efficiently so they can meet the demands of the people and advance state development.
The Local Government Service Commission also conducted a physical verification of the employees of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and the Unified Local Government Service and Local Government Education Authority. Governor Oborevwori’s administration was not dozing off on the subject of LG autonomy, according to Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza, the commissioner for information.
NULGE and ALGON said that they were prepared to put the Supreme Court’s ruling on local government autonomy into effect in Niger State. However, the state government said that it had not yet received a practical plan for putting the ruling of the highest court into effect.
Comrade Idris Abdulkareem Lafene, the state leader of NULGE and chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), stated that his people were prepared for the judgment to be put into effect. He said that the union’s national secretariat had provided them with a state-level framework for ensuring that the councils’ autonomy was being upheld.
According to Lafene, the NULGE members have been tasked with making sure the chairmen are responsible for how they handle the money that has been made available to them. According to Hon. Iliyasu Zakeri, the chairman of ALGON and the Agwara local government area, his members’ mandate is to uphold the Nigerian constitution.
“As a state, we don’t have any opinion on how the new arrangement is going to be implemented; we don’t have any practical plan on how it will be implemented,” stated Hon. Muazu Jantabo, the state commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.
Nonetheless, he stated that a lot of people were concerned about how the new system would impact programs like State Universal Basic Education and others that received combined state and council funding. The state government and councils in Anambra State have stated that they are prepared to abide by the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the autonomy of the local government.
The Chukwuma Soludo government has started to comply with the ruling, according to Chief Tony-Collins Nwabunwanne, the state commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. After the Supreme Court’s ruling, he said, the state government has begun crediting the 21 local governments’ accounts each month with their Federation Account allocations.
“Anambra State is ready to abide by the Supreme Court’s ruling on local government autonomy,” he declared. We have even raised awareness among elected local government officials about the importance of wise allocation management. Therefore, the government of Anambra State is prepared to abide by the ruling of the Supreme Court.
Hon. Casmir Nwafor, the chairman of the Orumb-North local government area, and Hon. ThankGod Anagor, the chairman of the Awka-North local government area, declared that they were prepared to use whatever funds that accumulated to their councils wisely for the good of their constituents.
For example, Nwafor stated that he recommended N7 billion to the council members for approval as the local government budget for 2025 as soon as he learned that FAAC would be paying local governments their allocations directly. According to him, security will come first, then empowerment, agriculture, health, education, and so forth.
In addition, Anagor (Awka North) claimed that he was ready to use the funds to address the needs of the populace even though he had not heard that FAAC will transfer each local government’s share directly to their accounts starting in January.
The 31 Akwa Ibom LGAs have increased their budgetary estimates for fiscal 2025 in anticipation of better allocations from FAAC after the state/local government joint account was abolished to make room for a direct monthly transfer from Abuja.
Under the previous joint account system, which was overseen by the state government, the 31 councils received millions of dollars in cash following the joint account session. In preparation for the big allocations, our correspondents learned that the councils are releasing their budgets in billions.
According to Uwemedimo Udo, the chairman of Uyo LGA, the N9.608 billion appropriation was approved just before the year ended. He referred to it as the “Budget of Consolidation and Advancement for the 2025 fiscal year.” He declared, “As funds become available, we will prioritize the effective implementation of the budget provisions.”
Similarly, his counterpart from Ikot Ekpene LGA, Hon. Aniefiok Nkom, increased the council’s budget to N7.471 billion for the fiscal year, stating that “the Budget of Restoration” is intended to address the massive infrastructure and humanitarian crises that the council is facing as a result of what he called a cash crunch that has slowed down the area’s development over the years.
Evangelist Chika Okoroike, the chairman of the Isiala Mbano local government area in Imo State, stated that he was prepared to accept the FAAC’s January allocation. Hon. Iheukwumere Alaribe, the chairman of the Aboh Mbaise council, praised the federal government and FAAC for the audacious move in his remarks.
The finance commissioner, Hon. Chuck Chukwuemeka, stated in his contribution that they were aware of the most recent development and did not protest to it. “We have no choice but to follow any instructions that are given to us.” Governor Sheriff Oborevwori of Delta State, in October 2024, entrusted the 25 council chairmen with enforcing the increased minimum pay for their employees with effect from November 2024 in anticipation of the LG autonomy.
The state government has implemented procedures to ensure smooth operations within the LG system, according to Hon. Ruby Emele, commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs. In accordance with the Supreme Court’s ruling, she said the state government was in favor of the formula that the FAAC and the federal government had developed.
In addition, the governor informed the state chapters’ leadership of ALGON, NUT, and NULGE that their councils needed to adopt it.
He claimed that the staff audit complied with the consent given at a Joint Allocation Account Committee (JAAC) meeting that was chaired by the governor and conducted in Asaba in October. As instructed by the Supreme Court, the councils would get direct payment from the Federation Account, according to Ziko Okwudi, the state president of NULGE.
The council was prepared to use the direct allocation from FAAC, according to Hon. Jamilu Abubakar, the chairman of the Dambatta local government area in Kano State. He claimed that it would allow them to bring development to the local level, where numerous problems and requirements, including the construction and repair of schools, hospitals, roads, drainage systems, and more, would receive the necessary attention.
The decision will improve local government administration and bring development closer to the people at the grassroots level, said Abdullahi Aga Gwarzo, the Kano State chairman of NULGE, who also expressed satisfaction over the move. On the federal government’s proposal to give money directly to the councils in Gombe State, the main players have refrained from commenting.
Abdullahi Saleh, the state chairman of NULGE, Mohammed Magaji, the commissioner for finance and economic development, and Sani Haruna, the state chairman of ALGON and the chairman of the Gombe local government area, were among the participants. Our journalist called and texted Saleh multiple times, but he did not answer, and Haruna was unavailable on his cell phone.
In a similar vein, commissioner Magaji refused to reply to a reminder given the day following and a WhatsApp message received on Tuesday afternoon.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>