Lawyers, scholars, and local government stakeholders have deliberated on the landmark judgment of the Supreme Court regarding local government financial autonomy in Nigeria.
The deliberations were held on Tuesday in Ibadan during a seminar at the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER) with the theme: ‘Reflections on the Supreme Court judgment on local government financial autonomy’.
The Director General (DG) of NISER, Professor Antonia Simbine, stated that anecdotal evidence suggested that the local government’s non-performance in Nigeria was due to its lack of financial and administrative autonomy.
Professor Simbine said the Supreme Court judgment on the case did not only aim at decentralising power and ensuring the efficient distribution of resources but also suspending a long-standing financial structure that had given state governors complete control over local governments.
“The point of all this is that until everything went haywire, local government system and practice, functions and performances were important subjects of study and people did not just stumble or were posted to LGAs without being professionals, specialists or simply being interested or passionate about them,” she said.
NISER’s DG further said that, aside from contributing to constitutional jurisprudence, the judgment will also bring back to the fore the study of and specialisation in local government administration as a field of study in political science in Nigeria.
The chairman of the occasion, Shaba Ibrahim, stated that as a former local government chairman and a former chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), he could draw a comparison from what local government administration was in his time and what it is now.
Ibrahim opined that the Supreme Court’s judgment on local government autonomy excited everyone, both those for and those against it. He however added that the Supreme Court judgment on the case was commendable and that those against it are doing so for fun and not for substance.
“We should be more forward-looking on the Supreme Court’s judgment. It is a way to reduce the rascality of governors,” he said.
The keynote speaker, Chief Niyi Akintola SAN, titled his lecture ‘The implications and prospects of the Supreme Court judgment of 11th July 2024 on local government and development in Nigeria’.
Chief Akintola noted that conversations on local government and development in Nigeria will require a voyage into the historical background of the local government evolution in the country.
The SAN stated that the majority of the judgment unknowingly created a third tier of government ─ the local government ─ for the Nigeria Federation, which the constitution of the country did not envisage.
The SAN added that the prospect of the judgment, as in its applicability to good governance, depends more on its implementation, otherwise, the judgment will remain another paper judgment like the offshore and onshore judgments of the Supreme Court on Child Rights Act and the Bigamy Act that have remained implementable.
Chief Akintola concluded by submitting that, “On the whole, the bucks stop on the table of Mr President and the National Assembly for the implementation of the judgment and effecting necessary amendments to the constitution.”
Some discussants contributed their views on the issue, addressing it from different perspectives.
Professor Roseline Onah spoke on ‘Beyond the Supreme Court judgment: Strategies for ensuring effective local governance in Nigeria’; Samaila Makarfi spoke on ‘Perspective of state governments on the local government financial autonomy’.
Cynthia Mbamalu spoke of YIAGA Africa, Abuja, spoke on ‘Roles of CSO and media in the accountability space at the local government level’; Dr Steve Ogidan spoke on ‘Local government and non-state actors (NSAs)’; and Dr Chibuike Oforbuike spoke on ‘The role of ALGON in ensuring effective resource management in local governance’.
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