The Federal Government has explained the delay in the direct disbursement of funds to the 774 Local Government Areas despite the Supreme Court’s ruling granting them financial autonomy. According to the government, the delay is due to the ongoing process of profiling individuals who will serve as signatories to the LGAs’ accounts. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister …

Local government councils across the country are facing a fresh hurdle in their bid to receive their monthly allocations directly from the Federation Accounts. Each of the 774 Local Government Areas is now required to furnish the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) with a comprehensive audit of its finances for two years as a prerequisite for direct remittance of their …

The 36 states state governors, on the platform of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), are at the moment engaged in a marathon meeting ahead of today, Thursday’s National Executive Council (NEC), meeting over issues related to local government autonomy, excess crude account, and petroleum profit tax, among other salient issues. The meeting, which had the state executives arrive at past …

Criticisms have trailed Tuesday’s signing into law of the Anambra Local Government Administration Law 2024 by Governor Chukwuma Soludo. Soludo said that the law was necessitated by the fact that granting absolute autonomy to the 774 Local Government Areas was a recipe for “humongous chaos” and would not lead to a sustainable development. At a press briefing shortly before signing …

The Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, Dr Musa Aliyu, SAN, has warned that the commission would take action against any official or individual who defies the Supreme Court’s ruling on local government autonomy. The Supreme Court, in a July 11 judgment, affirmed the financial autonomy of the Local Governments in Nigeria. The court also …

The Federal Government has set up a 10-member committee to enforce the Supreme Court judgment delivered on 11th July, 2024 granting financial autonomy to Local Governments in Nigeria. Director, Information & Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation OSGF, Segun Imohiosen disclosed this Tuesday in Abuja. He said the SGF, Senator George Akume, …

The Attorney General of Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), has said that the recent landmark judgment delivered by the Supreme Court granting full financial autonomy to the nation’s 774 local governments will not only improve governance at the local government level but also significantly improve security and access to human rights. Fagbemi stated this on Thursday …

The Supreme Court’s decision that federally-allocated funds be paid directly to the local government councils has raised serious concerns about whether we are actually practising federalism and, if we are, what variant of it. The apex court’s decision was at the instance of the Federal Government that dragged the 36 state governments to court. Local government council funds coming from …

You may have noticed the heat among state governors since the Supreme Court judgement of Thursday, 11 July 2024, which granted financial autonomy to the Local Government Areas (LGAs). The discomfort is not unusual; it is expected. Dismantling a system that thrives on prebendal arrangement does not come easy. For some governors, the councils have over time become conduit pipes …

The Supreme Court of Nigeria, in a suit instituted by the Federal Government against state governors of the monthly allocations disbursed from the federation account to the various Local Government Councils, delivered a landmark judgement on Thursday, 11 July, 2024 when it held that states have no constitutional power to withhold Local Government funds was received with widespread applause nationwide …