The Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED) applauds the Supreme Court of Nigeria for weighing-in on the on-going battle between the Federal Government and the state governors for the full autonomy of the constitutionally recognized 779 Local Government Areas across the country. We consider the landmark judgment delivered earlier today by the court to be legally and morally in tandem with the principles of justice, equity, fairness and respect for the constitution and the rule of Law. We equally salute the courage and firmness of the lead Judge, justice Emmanuel Agim, who stated in his judgement that the state governments’ refusal of financial autonomy for local governments has gone on for over two decades. It is equally commendable that the apex court in its ruling also barred governors from the usual practice of arbitrarily dissolving democratically elected Local Government councils in the country and replacing them with selected care-taker committees, a practice which is not only illegal, but contravenes all known principles and tenets of democratic governance.
We call for immediate and full implementation of this Supreme Court judgement and urge all the law enforcement agencies and departments to ensure that this verdict is fully implemented as directed by the court. It is indeed commendable that the Federal Government has taken this far-reaching step having realized through that cash withdrawal and transactions of the State, Joint Local Government Accounts (SJLGA), poses biggest corruption, money laundering and security threats at the grassroots levels and to the entire financial system and the country. CHRICED recalls that the Federal Government, through the National Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), issued a directive in 2019 prohibiting state governors from tampering with funds allocated for Local Government Areas (LGAs). The FG clearly stated that as from June 1, 2019, it would take strong measures against any state that interfered with LGA finances. However, this instruction was brazenly disregarded, and the Federal Government did not act due to political expediency. It is our hope that the Supreme Court’s decision will be fully implemented to the benefit of Nigerian people.
For us at CHRICED, the verdict of the apex court on this lingering matter is instructive in the sense that it is one major step aimed at correcting two of the numerous anomalies that has been introduced by the Nigerian political elites into our democratic culture as a nation. A cursory look at our democratic culture and practices since the return to democracy in 1999 will clearly reveal that the 36 state governors have completely hijacked the entire political and democratic structure, including political parties and the electoral process and are using it to their advantage and that of their cronies. For instance, since 1999 most state governors have demonstrated high level of financial profligacy and ineptitude in the management of their state resources. Despite the abundant human and natural resources available in their various states, most of them have not demonstrated any iota of intellectual capacity to look inwards on how to generate revenue for the effective running of their various states. All they do is to run cap-in-hand monthly to Abuja to demand for their share of the proverbial “national cake”.
We are equally concerned that despite the huge sums of money that has been drawn from the federation account by these state governors from 1999 till date, there is very little to show for it in terms of human and infrastructural development in their states. With the current sharing formular, the 36 state governments collectively receive about 47.32 percent of the funds drawn from the federation account on a monthly basis (if the 20.60 percent local government funds they have illegally appropriated for over two decades is added to their own legitimate 26.72 percent), yet most of them can barely pay salaries of suffering workers and pensioners, but have enough to cater for their extravagant lifestyles and bogus pension packages.
The nation is currently faced with a myriad of challenges ranging from insecurity to inflation, unemployment, acute food shortage and hunger in the land, yet no state government has been able to come up with any workable plan on how to solve any of these problems in their own states. All they do is to wait for the largesse coming from Abuja in the name of palliatives and interventions for them to loot and appropriate to their cronies and political supporters. Whenever this issue of insecurity in any state is mentioned, these governors are always the first to point to the fact that security is an exclusive responsibility of the federal government. Yet, they receive billions of naira as security vote monthly as the chief security officers of their various states.
With this Supreme Court decision, more resources will now be available to local governments to foster development at the grassroots level. This will help put an end to the corrupt practices of state governors that have hindered the effectiveness of local governance over the years. CHRICED calls on citizens and groups, particularly community-based organizations, NGOs, and youth associations, to take responsibility for holding local governments across the country accountable for the resources that will now accrue to them receive. Accountability is crucial for sustainable development.
While we commend the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Lateef Fagbemi for taking the bold initiative of challenging the illegality being perpetrated against the local government councils by the state governors at the Supreme Court.
Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!
Signed:
Comrade Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi
Executive Director
