LGs financial autonomy: Governors hold emergency virtual meeting

The 36 State Governors under the aegis of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) are expected to hold an emergency virtual meeting on Thursday night on the Supreme Court ruling which declared as unconstitutional the State and Local Government Joint Account.

The NGF Chairman, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State disclosed this after the meeting held with President Bola Tinubu at the State House.

Justice Emmanuel Agim, who delivered the judgement ordered President Tinubu’s administration to henceforth pay allocation meant for the 774 Local Government Areas directly to their respective accounts.

According to the unanimous judgment of a seven-member panel of Justices of the Supreme Court, held that State Governments have continued to abuse their powers by retaining and using the funds meant for Local Government Areas.

The apex Court also declared that it is unconstitutional for State Governors to hold on to funds allocated to Local Government administrations adding that the refusal of subnational governments on financial autonomy for Local Governments across the country has gone on for over two decades.

The Supreme Court therefore observed that Local Governments have since stopped receiving the money meant for them from the state governors who act in their stead.

Hence, Justice Agim noted that the 774 Local Government Councils in the country should be allowed to manage their funds themselves and dismissed the preliminary objections of the state governors.

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