LG autonomy: FG inaugurates 10-man committee to enforce Supreme Court judgement

The Federal Government has inaugurated a 10-man inter-ministerial committee to enforce the Supreme Court judgement delivered on 11th July 2024 granting financial autonomy to Local Governments in Nigeria.

The committee which has Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, is mandated to ensure that local governments in the country are granted full autonomy to operate effectively without interference of state governors.

Director, Information & Public Relations, SGF Office, Segun Imohiosen, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said the committee was inaugurated by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

It noted that this was part of efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to give appropriate implementation to the provisions of the Constitution, which recognises local governments as the third tier of government.

According to the statement, the members of the committee include the SGF who will serve as the chairman with the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy as member.

Other members are: Attorney General of the Federation & Minister of Justice, Minister of Budget & Economic Planning, Accountant General of the Federation, Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Permanent Secretary (Federal Ministry of Finance) and Chairman, Revenue Mobilization Allocation & Fiscal Commission.

Others include the representative of State Governors and representative of Local Governments respectively.

“The committee’s primary goal is to ensure that local governments are granted full autonomy, allowing them to function effectively without interference from state governments.

“This move is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, efforts to give appropriate implementation to the provisions of the Constitution, which recognizes local governments as the third tier of government,” the statement added.

In delivering the landmark judgement, Justice Emmanuel Agim said the position of the apex court was that “the federation can pay local governments allocations directly to the local governments or through the states.

“In this case, since paying them through the states has not worked, justice demands that local governments allocations from the federation account should henceforth be paid directly to the local governments.”