*As 3rd tier of govt finally gets financial autonomy
The Supreme Court has directed the Federal Government to henceforth pay allocations from the federation account directly to the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the country.
Delivering a landmark judgment in the suit by the Federal Government against the 36 State Governors on Thursday, a seven-member panel of Justices of Supreme Court (JSCs) held that state governments have continued to abuse their powers by retaining and using the funds meant for LGAs.
The Federal Government had in May, filed a suit at the apex court against governors of the 36 states.
In the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, the federal government asked for full autonomy for the country’s 774 local governments.
In the suit filed by the Attorney- General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the federal government also requested the apex court to authorise the direct transfer of funds from the federation account to local governments — in accordance with the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The Federal Government also anchored the suit on 27 grounds.
The Federal Government also urged the apex court to take a judicial notice of the following facts, “ That the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria recognizes federal, states and local governments as three tiers of government and that the three recognized tiers of government draw funds for their operation and functioning from the federation account created by the constitution.
“That all efforts to make the governors comply with the dictates of the 1999 Constitution in terms of putting in place a democratically elected local government system, has not yielded any result and that to continue to disburse funds from the federation account to governors for non-existing democratically elected local governments is to undermine the sanctity of the 1999 constitution.”
The Federal Government further urged the apex court to invoke sections 1, 4, 5, 7 and 14 of the constitution to declare that the governors and state Houses of Assembly are under obligation to ensure democratically elected systems at the third tier.
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