By Felix Kuyinu
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has granted financial autonomy to the local governments in the country in activities concerning federal government allocations, ruling against dependence on state governors.
The court declared that the local governments’ dependence on governors to get funds after being disbursed by the federal government is a trample on the rights of the third-tier level of government.
The autonomy was granted in a verdict by Justice Emmanuel Agim at the court in Abuja on Thursday following a petition in a suit initiated by the Attorney General of the Federation, AGF, Lateef Fagbemi.
The suit seeked a safeguard in the rights of the local governments in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Agbim, delivering the judgement, said, “Henceforth, the local governments should independently get allocations from the federal government without any form of overseeing by the state governors.
“In addition, this court restrains the state governors from any form of unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful ejection of any of the 774 democratically elected local government chairmen in the country,” he said.
