Local Government Autonomy: How it can work– Stakeholders .

AS plaudits trail Thursdays Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to the 774 local governments of the country, stakeholders have canvassed measures to ensure effective implementation of the verdict.

According to them, apart from ensuring that local councils get their federal allocations directly, the funds must be prudently managed and made to benefit people at the grassroots.

On this score, some of the stakeholders tasked the anti-graft agencies to be on their toes to avert new emperors emerging in the councils via looting of the funds.

There was also a question on what happens to the state and LG joint accounts and efforts to ensure that governors will not coerce council chairmen to hand over the funds through the backdoor.
They also sought a constitutional amendment to return the conduct of council polls to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

Council polls are currently conducted by State Independent Electoral Commissions, SIECs, and the outcomes always favour the ruling parties in the states.

We are happy…. Says Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq…
Meanwhile, the governor of Kwara State and Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum, Mallam AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has said that the governors were happy over the supreme court judgement that granted autonomy to local governments in the country.

He said:” We welcome the ruling of the Supreme Court; compliance is a given. Our attorney generals have applied for the enrollment order, which we’ll study carefully. By and large, the Governors are happy with the devolution of power concerning local government autonomy. It relieves the Governors of some burdens. People don’t know how much states expend in bailing out local governments. It’s not going to affect the state; we’ve not tampered with local government funds.

“What the local governments have to do is to manage themselves, especially with the upcoming minimum wage. They have to manage their affairs and make sure salaries are paid and traditional rulers get their five percent. Those are the main issues. The Forum will meet next Wednesday to look at the issues wholly and then come up with resolutions.

NEF hails ruling
The Northern Elders Forum, NEF, lauded the Supreme Court judgement that granted financial autonomy to the 774 Local Government Areas, LGAs in Nigeria, insisting that the landmark decision was anticipated to catalyze substantial development at the grassroots level.

NEF said the judgement would herald a new era of decentralized power and resources within the nation’s governance framework.

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“This bold move, which marks a departure from the past practices of centralizing power and resources in the hands of respective state governments, holds great promise for empowering local governments to take charge of their affairs and address the pressing needs of their communities,” stated Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, NEF’s Director of Publicity and Advocacy.

“One of the pivotal advantages of financial autonomy for LGAs is the enhancement of their capacity to plan and execute development projects tailored to the unique necessities of their respective communities.

”In the past, local governments had been marginalized, emasculated, and sidelined in the decision-making process, with the bulk of resources and power concentrated at the state level. This has led to inefficiency and ineffectiveness in delivering basic services such as healthcare, education, and infrastructure at the grassroots level,” said Suleiman.

NEF applauded the Supreme Court for addressing this imbalance of power and resources, paving the way for more targeted and effective local governance.

“With control over their finances, local governments will be able to prioritize and fund projects that directly impact the lives of their people.

“ For instance, they can invest in building new schools, improving healthcare facilities, or upgrading roads and transportation networks to enhance connectivity and access to markets,” Suleiman elaborated.

NEF highlighted that with more control over their expenditures, local governments will be held to higher standards of accountability and will be required to report on their financial activities and outcomes. This, in turn, is expected to help reduce corruption and mismanagement of public funds—longstanding issues in Nigeria’s governance system.

“Granting financial autonomy to the LGAs will promote participatory governance and citizen engagement in decision-making processes. Local governments will be more responsive to the needs and preferences of their communities, as they will have the flexibility to engage with local stakeholders and involve them in the planning and implementation of development projects. This will foster a sense of ownership and empowerment among citizens, as they will have a direct role in shaping the future of their communities,” Suleiman noted.

However, NEF issued a stern warning to local government officials against the misappropriation of these newly granted resources.

“It should be noted that the plunder and pillage of LG resources by top officials would no longer be the order of the day,” the statement concluded, emphasizing that any acts of looting and open theft would not be tolerated.

Judgment will usher meaningful devt at LG level – MBF
Speaking in like manner, the Middle Belt Forum, MBF, said that the autonomy would usher meaningful development at the Local Government level in the country.

The MBF noted that the ruling would pave the way for the conduct of free, fair and credible elections at the third tier of government adding that it would also attract the best hands to vie for positions in the elections.

MBF National President MBF, Dr. Bitrus Pogu who spoke in Makurdi said the ruling would usher in meaningful development in the 774 LGAs of the country.

According to him, “The ruling was a beautiful victory for democracy. The President does not have to be tied down by the bottlenecks created by the governors.

“I believe that there is going to be development in rural areas; and serious people will now come out and contest to be chairmen and councillors in the local governments and by so doing we will get the best materials for local government administration in this country.

Looming battle
“So it is a victory for democracy and victory for this country. We however have some other battles to fight because there are some imbalances in the creation of Local Governments. But gradually we will know how to address those, but for now it is a victory for democracy, victory for Nigeria and Nigerians.

“With this victory and the eventual conduct of elections by the INEC in the Local Governments, despite how weak INEC is, the right thing will certainly be done.”

He said the Electoral Law should be amended to ensure that “nobody bypasses the electoral process and ambiguities in the electoral law should be removed so that true election will hold and the people’s votes will count.”

Verdict’s a catalyst for natl devt— Okey Nwosu
National Chairman of the Action Democratic Congress, ADC, Chief Ralphs Okey Nwosu, said: “It is a great outcome for our democracy and catalyst for national development.

“My party, the ADC has continued to advocate for the active participation of the local government area councils in running our affairs as the council is the authentic grassroot leadership any nation needs to make organic progress.

“Local Local government autonomy, financial and otherwise are critical for grassroots development.
“I congratulate President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the bold step not minding his past and the antics of state governors and some of the legislators.

“The main kudos and compliments goes to the men and women who sat in the Supreme Court to affirm that ‘all the local government councils across the country should, from Thursday, receive their allocations directly from the Accountant-General of the Federation.

”The judiciary has by this singular ruling breathed life into our local governments and vitality to all communities and persons in this country.”

Lamenting that governors had been “strangulating local government and our communities’ development and in many ways debasing our democracy,” he said: “By the time we have free local governments with five to 10 billion naira distributed to each of the 774 of them annually, the effect will be phenomenal. Some LGA councils’ performance will put many governors to shame.

“To strengthen the judgment, I further call on all National Chairmen of all other political parties that are in control of the states to call their governors to conduct local council elections forthwith.”

Now we truly ‘ve 3 tiers of govt —Wabara
Former Senate President and the Chairman, Board of Trustees, BoT, of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator Adolphus Wabara, said:” We now have three tiers of Government.
Governors didn’t allow LGAs to function properly and constitutionally. This is the best judgement I have seen the Supreme Court deliver since this year.”

Wabara, who was once the chairman of Ukwa East LGA in Abia State, said that the judgment would also help fast-track development in the local communities as councils are the closest government to the grassroots.

“ Local Governments will now develop very fast, and there will be accountability in Council administration because the people will elect people they can hold accountable and not the Governor’s cronies to run their affairs.”

Need for strong monitoring
Senator Wabara, however, stressed the need to have strong institutions to monitor the implementation of the judgment to avoid a situation where Governors would arm-twist the council chairmen and take their funds.

“We will need very strong institutions to monitor the implementation of the judgment. Governors might look for a way to coerce the LGA chairmen and collect their funds from behind.”

He further called for the return of the conduct of council polls from SIECs to the INEC to avoid undue influence by governors.

“There should be a law reversing the conduct of Council polls back to INEC to enable the people vote for the chairman of their choice, and not the rubber stamp of the Governor,” he said.

FG should put in place mechanism for implementation – Wachuku
Pioneer Director General of the National Directorate of Employment, NDE, Chief Chuku Wachuku, described the judgment as “landmark, and a significant step towards consolidating Democracy in Nigeria.

However, he called on the Federal Government to put in place mechanism to ensure the implementation of the judgment.

Chief Wachuku who has remained a strong advocate of financial autonomy for LGAs, recalled that many court orders had been flouted in the past, and urged the Federal Government to be deliberate about the implementation of the judgment to ensure its success.

“ I have always supported financial autonomy for LGAs. That’s the right thing to do. The constitution is very explicit on that but it’s very bad that we have not allowed council areas to enjoy this autonomy.

“ I want Government to put in place mechanism for implementation. Funds for LGAs should be released only to councils with democratically-elected and tenured council chairmen and councillors.

“Many court orders were flouted in the past. The Federal Government should also put in place measures to checkmate Governors from going behind to enact laws that will compel council chairmen to return the funds to them through the backdoor.

We must strengthen accountability — Olawepo-Hashim
Former Presidential Candidate, Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, counseled that accountability structures including the local Governments Legislative Assembly, should be strengthened to ensure that adequate over-sight exists to ensure that local government funds that would now go directly to the LGAs are not subject to abuse, but truly benefit the citizens of the councils.

“We have a real opportunity for development to resume at the local government levels with the Supreme Court landmark Judgement, but only when we put up structures to ensure that these funds do not become the personal purse of certain individuals,” he said.

Olawepo-Hashim added that “with these development, LGA’s should be able to pay attention to community policing, which is urgent and crucial in view of nationwide insecurity; intra ward and neighborhood public transportation; regular grading of local roads to ensure easy movement of farm produce; primary and rural health services, children early education, etc.

”Let’s ensure the real people benefit from this Judgement and that the Judgement does not create new local emperors from the LGAs treasury,” he urged.

Govs’ grip on local govt funds broken – IPAC
The Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, hailed the judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments as a masterstroke that has broken the grip of state governors on council funds.

IPAC National Chairman, Yusuf Mamman Dantalle, at press briefing in Abuja, yesterday, however, called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to monitor the funds released to local governments to ensure they are used for the people’s benefit.

S/Court has restored sanity to our polity – Senator Daniel
The Senator representing Ogun East Senatorial District, Senator Gbenga Daniel said, “the Supreme Court, through the judgement has restored sanity to the Nigerian political space,” adding that the ruling will allow the dividends of democracy to reach the masses at the grassroots.

Senator Daniel, in a message on his X handle, congratulated the Supreme Court for listening to the cries of the masses.

According to him “this constitutional resolution is long overdue because the local government administration is the closest to the grassroots and they should have the capacity to impact directly on the lives of the people through the initiation of life-changing programmes and projects.”

While commending President Tinubu for the move, he said “with this Local Government financial autonomy, he has once again set to recalibrate the wheels of our political and economic growth in a way that it will make clear meanings to the average citizens.”

LGs’ve been unshackled – Onayemi
The Convener, Yoruba Commitment Forum, YCF, Otunba Tayo Onayemi said that “the pronouncement of Local Governments autonomy by the Supreme Court has removed slavery from our democratic process.”

Onayemi, a one time chairman of Ijebu North-East Local Government Area of Ogun State, said, “Between 1999 and 2002, we took our allocations directly from Abuja as Local Government chairmen, sometimes by hand from RAMFC. Thereafter, it was reversed. Direct allocation is direct progress, direct monitoring, direct humiliation and sack if you fail as local administrators.

“I rejoice with the local people, I rejoice with development in unimaginable proportions and I rejoice with democracy.

“Let’s see how the Local Government chairmen and councillors will now lie or justify their non performance.The land is green once again. I am happy with the third tier of government in this country.”

Other speakers

A Public Affairs Analyst, Mr. Ola Animasaun said “The judgement is a beautiful development for the nation’s democracy, but noted that a lot still has to be fine- tuned, to make it sail smoothly
“This is a beautiful development for our democracy. Since the Local Governments are the closest to the people, the financial autonomy, is expected to meaningfully impact and positively enhance the livelihood of the people, if properly administered.

“Though, there are tendencies for abuses, a lot still has to be fine tuned, from conduct of the elections to stringent control mechanisms, as well as citizens proactive engagements, for better governance.”

The Executive Project Director, Lawyers for Reform Group and Chairman, Eti-Osa Bar Forum, Barr. Oludotun Hassan said: “The Supreme Court’s decision is a reaffirmation of the 7th schedule of the 1999 constitution as amended for local government autonomy, which has been grossly violated by state governors for many years.

“The practice of treating local government councils as appendages of state governments has led to mismanagement of funds, increased poverty, and devalued democracy.

“This ruling sets the stage for a new era of grassroots democracy, where local governments can operate with the independence and accountability they deserve.”

“This is a historic moment for our democracy. The ruling represents a significant step forward in our journey towards a more robust and participatory democratic system.

“I believe that if we build on this ruling and strengthen local government autonomy across the country, we will be well on our way to becoming a truly democratic and prosperous nation.

“The impact of the Supreme Court ruling on local governments is expected to be far-reaching, with implications for governance, fiscal management, and service delivery at the grassroots level.

“As local governments gain greater control over their finances, they will be better positioned to address local needs, such as road maintenance, education, health care, and other basic services, without having to rely on the whims of state governors or federal government bailouts.

“The autonomy ruling could also have a positive impact on the quality of leadership at the local government level, attracting candidates with stronger credentials, better ideas, and a deeper commitment to public service.”

“However, it is important to note that the road to full autonomy for local governments will not be an easy one. There are already indications that some state governors are resisting the implementation of the Supreme Court ruling, citing concerns about potential loss of revenue and control.

“Despite these challenges, Hassan remained optimistic about the future of local governments in Nigeria, saying, “The Supreme Court ruling is a game-changer. It provides us with a clear roadmap for reforming the local government system and strengthening democracy at the grassroots level.”

FG funding LGAs assaultto federalism — Omoloku
Also speaking, Abagun Kole Omololu, an analyst, said now, the states have their work cut out for them. “The Nigerian Federation in a restructured form should be made up of either states, zones or regions and the Federal Govt only, in a two tier arrangement.

The local govt structure we inherited from the military is terribly skewed in favour of the North. This fraud cannot continue to be sustained.

“The states now have to take the bull by the horn and ensure that the constitution amendment being expected should entrust local government creation and funding with the Sub-nationals.

“You don’t bring govt closer to the people by more centralization. State government is closer to the people more than the Federal Government. This is where fiscal decentralization comes in. And that is achieved through the fiscal independence of the federating units.

“The ideal is for the states to regain their autonomy both political & financial (fiscal). The states then, with their people and Constitution, create the number of LGAs they can handle. FG has no business with our LGAs.

Funding the local government by the Federal Government is a real assault on Federalism.”

Verdict has weakened our federalism — Fasaka
To a Public Analyst, Hon Ayo Fadaka, “the Supreme Court decision has further weakened our federalism by giving an extra muscle to the Federal Government to pursue its over centralisation agenda by an extra mile. Now it is either we sit back and watch or take our destiny in our hands as we aim for a proper federalism for Nigeria.

“As far as the theory of federalism is concerned, only the sub-units have the authority to determine how to rule and administer their units and this should be without the central authority having any input whatsoever.

“This was the practice in the First Republic when the local authorities (LGs) had their own police systems, a practice currently obtainable in other federalism like the USA, Canada and Russia.

“Truly, the current Local Governments were created by the Federal Government during the military era, the LCDA components created by the States since 1999 have now been callously legislated out of existence by this verdict of the Supreme Court that seems not to take any notice of the compelling reasons that dictated the need for the joint account between States and LGs.

“When the Babangida administration decided to excise primary school teachers emoluments/salaries from states and transfer same to LGs, a crisis of inability to pay salaries ensued because of a large disparity in the concentration of primary schools in urban areas, resulting in an overbearing salary structure that such LGAs could not shoulder and this crisis remained until the arrival of democracy when the state governors devised a joint account structure to solve the crisis. Now this judgement will most probably recreate the crisis.

“The insecurity challenges confronting Nigeria today dictate that all efforts that will engender an upscale in every tier of government being strong to be of essence in providing better security will be encouraged, this judgement may further weaken the resolve of states at creating and financing alternative security agencies within their confines.

“In my state, the Federal Police Force no longer embark on security patrol in the night nor respond to distress calls. It is the Amotekun system that rises to distress at night, funds now available to the states to finance this arrangement will be further depleted.”

On his part, former Ondo SDP chairman, Hon Stephen Adewale, said: “The decision represents a positive step forward. Those who witnessed the 1999-2007 Democratic system in Nigeria will recall that it was a golden age of our democratic experiment, with Local Government Chairmen and Councillors implementing commendable projects in their communities due to their financial autonomy.
“Over time, our politicians decided to see the local administration as an extension of the state administrations, and they began installing their cronies as local government officials.

“However, I will advise us not to rejoice yet because, based on my recent experience with the do-or-die tactics practised by ruling party politicians at all levels. With financial autonomy at the local government level, questionable and desperate politicians will go to any length to win their elections.

“ In addition, these dubious politicians have the potential to escalate thuggery. If their excesses are not reined in, a corrupt LG chairman with unlimited resources might transform his or her LG secretariat into a thuggery haven.

“The problem can be solved by ensuring that INEC is truly independent. Furthermore, all monitoring agencies, such as EFCC and ICPC, among others, must be on top of their game and independent of the ruling party.

“The federal government should also establish transparency and openness in the allocation of funds to local governments so that both government monitoring agencies and non-state actors may hold these local government officials accountable.

“This is the time to ensure that the Freedom of Information Act is fully implemented and activated so that locally elected politicians may be held accountable. The National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly should also live up to their oversight responsibilities.

The Secretary, Ekiti Elders and a Public Analyst, Mr Ayo Adekunle, described the judgment of the supreme court as a welcome decision, saying “ that is what we have been waiting for, for a very long time.

“We have three tiers of government, why would you lump one with the other? If Federal Government has no veto over state government, why should state government have veto local governments? It is wrong.

“There is going to be proper accountability because there is no immunity for them and if they commit any financial infractions they would be taken to court.” “The only thing that remains is that the state electoral commission must be removed completely from the apron-string of the state government and be taken to INEC.

“INEC must conduct all elections, so local government would still not be under state government, because if you allow the present system to continue, the autonomy will be in the reverse.
“State governments manipulate local government elections to favour their candidates and if INEC takes charge of local government elections, they would not be able to manipulate the system to their advantage like the ones we have now.”

Dangerous precedent– Emiaso, retired judge
A retired president of the Customary Court in Delta State, Miakpor Emiaso, said, “The granting of financial autonomy to local governments is ordinarily a good thing, but it bruises our federal system of government.”

“All over the world, a federal system of government is a system of two tiers of government, but this Supreme Court decision seems to be a new definition that will create three tiers of government.

“Also, the effect of it, in the long run, will see the federal government becoming top-heavy again because it is the federal government that will dictate what happens in the local governments, taking that control and influence from the state governments.

“It is a dangerous precedent, and l do not know how it will work out. I am not saying financial autonomy is not good, but the implication is that we now have a new kind of federal system of government.

“A federal system, all over the world, is usually two tiers of government, but now we seem to have three tiers of government. It is not going to be tidy.”

Judgment will upset current arrangements in some states – Teks, activist
A political activist, Comrade Onoriode Teks, who supported him, asserted, “I wonder why Mr. President has been delving into unpopular issues, leaving serious matters of governance.”

“The Supreme Court judgment, in my view, will further disrupt existing arrangements in some states to advance developments. Some states created administrative councils, so what happens since these councils are not beneficiaries of the Supreme Court judgment?

“The judgment may have nullified the existence of the councils created by the governors. And the grass root suffers.”

Bold verdict – Ambakaderimo, S-South leader
However, the national coordinator of the South-South Reawakening Group, SSRG, Joseph Ambakaderimo, said the judgment was the best thing to happen to Nigeria’s nascent democracy.

His words: “The Freedom of Information (FoI) comes alive and handy to the people at the grassroots, and the anti-corruption agencies must brace up to respond to the litany of petitions that will flood these agencies.”

“The ruling will cure the insecurity in the land as there will be no more ungoverned spaces. People will be empowered economically, but there is nothing to cheer about until they remove the power of conducting local government elections from the states. “The overall excitement for me is holding my local government chairman and my councilor to account on every Naira and kobo received on behalf of the people of my local government.

Ambakaderimo explained that to further cement and concretize the pronouncement, there has to be a follow-up on the issue of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) taking the responsibility of conducting local government elections.

Kudos to Tinubu, Supreme Court- former DIG Ekpoudom
A retired Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), Udom Ekpoudom, said, “First, I want to thank the President Tinubu- led federal government for insisting on local government financial autonomy. In addition, I applaud the Supreme Court for giving the expected judgment on the issue. They did the correct thing.”

“Granting financial autonomy to local government administration is one of the best things that has happened to Nigerians during this time. I can remember when I was a small boy, local government administrations were autonomous and when you traveled home back then, you would see roads built, gutters, culverts, and so on.

“But since the introduction of joint accounts, you cannot see local government chairmen performing at all. Now, with this financial autonomy, they should deliver dividends of democracy at that tier of government. I strongly believe that things will change for the better”.

Right decision – Iweh, A’Ibom NULGE president
The president of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Akwa Ibom State, Mrs. Anestina Iweh, said it became important that councils should have access to their funds so that the citizens would know who to hold responsible when things go wrong.

A new breather – Osifo, Edo LP guber candidate
The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and a former local government council chair in Edo State, Dr. Isaiah Osifo, said it was Uhuru for the third tier of government.

Osifo, who at a time was the Edo State chapter chair of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), said, “I congratulate Nigerians across the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria on the judgment of the Supreme Court over the autonomy of local governments in Nigeria.”

“The autonomy of local governments is one of the pillars of democracy amply identified in my manifesto. It is an integral part of my political DNA as I have been a longstanding campaigner for local government autonomy.

“My aspiration to be elected as the governor of Edo
State, therefore, draws optimal impetus from the obligation to guarantee freedom for the third tier of governance.

“I have spent many years as Edo State chairman of ALGON, and as national vice president of ALGON, fighting for the Autonomy of local government in Nigeria.

“In 2001, the ALGON leadership in Nigeria, including me, sued the 36 state governors up to the Supreme Court on the autonomy of local governments in Nigeria. The Supreme Court, under the leadership of Justice Mohammed Uwais, gave judgment in favor of the state governors.”

It calls for celebration – Adorolo, Edo NULGE president
The president of the Edo State chapter of NULGE, Lazarus Adorolo, asserted, “What happened on Thursday can be likened to a man who has been married for years, and could not get a child and then, suddenly, gave birth to twins.”

“There will be jubilation from all corners, which is what happened to the local governments with the latest Supreme Court judgment. Coming after all the challenges that the local governments have faced since 1999, especially when we came up with the current democratic processes, the judgment has allowed us to celebrate, but the question is how long the celebration lasts?”

Asked if the local government chairs will not see themselves as lords, he said, “That is why the legislative arm of government is there. The union as a major stakeholder is also there; all these stakeholders must be united not to fight the executive arm of government, but to ensure that the executive arm of government is responsible to the people.”

“If the executive arm is accountable to the people, the councillors will not have any problem with them. It will be better for us; there will be checks and balances. The populace will now be able to check the councillors and the executives.

“If a particular councillor is not doing well, the people can also sit down to recall the person, that can also happen as far as the executive arm is concerned. But our major challenge as we are also looking at it is that we have to strengthen the union and the stakeholders in the local governments to act as watchdogs.”.

Adorolo raised concern about the powers of the state House of Assembly to remove council chairs, saying, “It means that crisis can be instigated by the executive arm of government at the state level against the executive arm of government at the local government level when issues are not working together between the two tiers.”

“Therefore, we need to also look at that in the judgment, it is a critical area we must also look at, but for us, it is cause for celebration and we will now be looking at the application of the direct allocation, then, also come out with measures to curtail the excesses of the executive arm and the legislative arm.”

This is judicial legislation – Prof Muoboghare
.A former Commissioner for Education in Delta State and university don, Prof. Patrick Muoboghare, asserted, “What the Supreme Court has done amounts to judicial legislation. I will not comment further until I read the judgment.”

‘Let us keep our fingers crossed’ – Prof Awhefeada
Another university don, Prof Sunny Awhefeada, who applauded the decision, said the nation’s attorney general and minister of justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, rightly described it as a ‘liberation judgment’ for the local government areas.

“But knowing the kind of country we have, one has no reason to cheer until we see the advantages of the new lease of life unfold. Let us keep our fingers crossed.”

Put govs under close watch – Okiri, C-River opinion leader
A Cross-River state opinion leader, Chief Mathias Okiri, told Saturday Vanguard, “Though the Supreme Court ruling is landmark and well-meaning, with the level of corruption in the country, it will be hard to see a difference in the management of local government funds.”

“It is possible for the governor to facilitate the election of his acolytes as council chairmen, who would subsequently sign and transfer the money to him. What is happening now, most governors are reluctant to conduct local government elections because they use civil servants as conduit pipes to siphon the allocations to councils in the state.

“It will take monitoring and sanctions to governors, who adopt this method, otherwise the autonomy will only be on paper.”

Apex court invoked the doctrine of necessity – Igbini, VATLAD president
The national president of the Vanguard for Transparent Leadership and Democracy (VATLAD), Comrade (Engr) Igbini Odafe Emmanuel, stated, “The situation Nigerians have found ourselves since May 29, 1999, is sadly such that has led to total collapse of democratic, responsible and responsive local government administration across the country.”

“This is because of the deliberate actions of the governors to disregard and violate the clear and unambiguous provisions of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, as amended, which provide only for the democratic system of local government councils and their financial autonomy.

“The unpatriotic actions of state governors ultimately led to the inability of the local government councils to carry out their constitutional duties as spelled out in the Constitution.
“Basic things like provisions of community policing, construction and maintenance of street roads, drainage, public markets, parks, etc. are non-existent, leading to high-level unemployment, hunger, hopelessness and insecurity.

“The state governors engage in appointing and installing their stooges as members of caretaker committees or interim management, or by whatever name called on the local government councils, rather than allow for democratically elected chairmen and councilors for the local government councils.

“It is the negative consequences of the actions of these governors that have necessitated the urgent need for extraordinary action taken by the Supreme Court to restore hope, public order, good government, and national security through its judgment that I best and rightly describe as the invocation of the Doctrine of Necessity”.

Apt judgment – Morris, ex-Bayelsa CLO scribe
Former secretary of the Civil Liberties Organization, Bayelsa State, Alagoa Morris, said, “I hope this landmark judgment would be holistic and protected from the manipulative tendencies of the average Nigerian, especially the crooks in the civil service, and rogue politicians all over the country. It is only then that some of us who have been advocating for such a situation at the local government level would have a sigh of relief.”

“About two years ago when as part of a civil society team, I visited the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Bayelsa State, I expressed the view that it would be better INEC took charge of local government elections too, as is the case with other elective offices at the state and federal levels.

“One of the reasons why INEC should conduct local government elections is that, at least a level playing field would be provided for all political parties and aspirants. The scenario whereby all local government seats, from chair to councilors, are always swept by the ruling parties in the states, reeked of unequal playing ground for all political parties.

“Naturally, just as we see opposition parties having candidates at the State and National Assembly, we should have opposition winning some chairmanship and councilor positions too. Opposition makes democracy tick, especially when there is a healthy rivalry as opposed to violence and electoral fraud.

“The beauty of democracy is having space for others to express themselves in governance. The significance of the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to the third tier of government cannot be overemphasized.

“As the saying goes, he who pays the piper dictates the tune. A situation whereby the local government chairman would go cap in hand begging state government to get funds to execute pressing projects or whereby local governments are limited to paying only staff salaries is unaccepted and, would be a thing of the past with this judgment.

“Due to how local governments were denied their statutory allocations, local governments’ budgets were not seen. Local governments could not embark on ambitious community and people-oriented projects.

“It is hoped that this sort of scenario will become history and we shall begin to access local government budgets and follow them up in the common interest.

“However, civil servants and elected politicians at the local governments should not think they would have a field day with council funds. They should rather brace up for service delivery and bridge the grassroots developmental needs of our communities, especially the basic amenities, including concrete roads within communities and short inter-community link roads.

“The funds received from the commonwealth are expected to be judiciously utilized with the application of the concept of transparency and accountability; operators should not be surprised when anti-graft agencies come after them.

“The same civil society community that advocated for financial autonomy for local government areas would not hesitate to invite or support any process that aligns with the pursuit of transparency and accountability at the councils.

“The good thing is that local government areas would not need permission from governors to spend in line with budgetary provisions of their respective councils. This would provide enough freedom for well-meaning politicians at that level to positively impact their areas of jurisdiction.”