LG Autonomy: Senate Backs Supreme Court Judgement, Issues Fresh Directive to States

• The Senate has urged states to comply with the Supreme Court ruling granting financial autonomy to the 774 local governments across the country
• The President of the Senate Godswill Akpabio on Wednesday, also pledged to amend the constitution to fully empower local governments (LG)
• This decision was announced by the Deputy Senate President, Jibril Barau, after a closed-door meeting on Wednesday following attempts by some state governments to undermine the apex court judgement

Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.

The Senate has called on the states and local governments to fully comply with the Supreme Court’s judgement by ensuring that local governments have complete control of their funds.

On Wednesday, October 9, it cautioned the 36 states and the 774 local governments against circumventing the recent Supreme Court judgement, which granted full autonomy to LG councils in the country.

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The session, which was presided over by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, also said the National Assembly would amend relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution, especially 162, to provide full autonomy for local government administration in Nigeria.

The Senate’s resolution came amid a brief drama on the floor, which forced senators to hold a closed-door session before arriving at the decision.

Former President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) and senator representing Anambra-North Senatorial District, Senator Tony Nwoye, had brought a motion alerting senators to alleged attempts by at least three states to disobey the apex court’s judgment.

Nwoye informed his colleagues that the states were moving to use their legislatures to pass laws that would create accounts where the local funds would be paid into before being disbursed for spending.

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He requested the Senate to intervene by passing a resolution to halt the states from disobeying the supreme court’s judgment.

However, drama started on the floor when some senators pointed at the futility of passing another resolution by the Red Chamber when the supreme court’s judgment had already addressed the issue.

The Nigerian Tribune and Vanguard confirmed the development in its publication on Wednesday, October 9.

Read more articles on LG autonomy here:

• SAN sends key message to national assembly over LG autonomy: "swallowed them up"
• Supreme court judgment: List of things LG funds are constitutionally meant for
• LG Autonomy: FG inaugurates 10-member committee to implement Supreme Court judgment

LG autonomy: FG, governors finally reach 3-month agreement

In another development, Legit.ng reported that the federal government was yet to release funds to the 774 local government chairmen, but it had reached an agreement regarding payment with the state governors.

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Meanwhile, the agreement for a three-month delay on LG allocations raised concerns about how local governments would manage their operations and salary payments during the period.

However, the minister of finance, Wale Edun, calmed the tension and explained FG's next step in the matter amid negotiations on payment by states.

Source: Legit.ng