- President Bola Tinubu has been commended for making the move to secure local government autonomy in Nigeria
- Olajumoke Shaqiru Victor, the Ward 13 lawmaker in the Abeokuta South LGA of Ogun state, made the commendation in an exclusive interview with Legit.ng
- Hon Victor also commended the Supreme Court for granting financial autonomy to the 774 local government areas in Nigeria
Hon. Olajumoke Shaqiru Victor, the lawmaker representing Ward 13 at the Abeokuta South local government in Ogun state, has commended the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to the 774 local governments in Nigeria.
In an exclusive interview with Legit.ng, the Ward 13 councillor in the Abeokuta South LGA, said the judgment was a welcome development, adding that it showed that President Bola Tinubu was well connected with the people at the grassroots.
Photo Credit: @officialABAT
Source: Twitter
Ogun lawmaker welcomes LG autonomy
Victor, who is also a media aide to Hon. Balogun Olaniyi Afeez, the chairman of the Abeokuta South LGA, lamented that the local governments in Nigeria have been in darkness due to lack of funds to run the administrations at the local level.
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He then expressed optimism that the elected council chairman would utilise their funds effectively and make the environment better for the people at the grassroots. He said:
“For so many years, the government at the local level has been put in the dark, as the dividends of democracy are not getting to the grassroots or the ones that are getting there are so little that they can’t even be enough to be called tangible. It is a welcome development to have the local government collect their allocation directly from the federal government.
“It is needed for the smooth running of local government affairs, and it should be a welcome relief to all Nigerians to know that the administration of PBAT looks out for its people even at the grassroots level. All we ask for and pray is for the local government representative to make good use of the funds and create an enabling environment for its populace.”
When will LG start receiving their funds directly?
The federal government had earlier stated that it would start paying the local government their allocations as directed by the Supreme Court but suspended the implementation of the apex court judgment over the lack of dedicated accounts.
However, a recent investigation indicated that the federal government was yet to direct the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to open dedicated accounts for the 774 local government chairmen in Nigeria.
Vanguard reported that the national president of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Bello Lawal Yandaki, disclosed this in an interview.
Presidency shares when LG receive allocation directly
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu’s administration disclosed that the implementation of the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy will commence in January end.
The Supreme Court ruled in July 2024 that the states did not have the constitutional right to have control over the funds of the local government.
Sunday Dare, the spokesperson to Tinubu, said the implementation was delayed to allow some mechanism to be put in place and has now been achieved.
Proofreading by Nkem Ikeke, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
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Source: Legit.ng
