* Wale Edun
Finance Minister
By Pathfinder Reporter
Monday July 15, 2024
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No fewer than 437 local government areas spread across 19 states of the federation may receive Zero Allocation from the federation account this month.
The development is not unconnected with the Supreme Court judgment on local government of last Thursday which prohibited funding of local governments being run by caretaker committees with money from the federation account.
The apex court, in its ruling under the suit brought before it by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, granted financial autonomy to the 774 local government areas (LGA) recognized by the 1999 Constitution and outlawed the penchant of state governors to institute caretaker committees or dissolve democratically elected structures in the councils.
Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi while commenting on the judgment of the apex court declared that the ruling takes immediate effect, an indication that councils that failed to comply will start having their funds confiscated from the next meeting of the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee(FAAC), this month.
Investigations by the Nigerian Tribune revealed that the axe may fall on no fewer than 19 states of the federation which are currently running one caretaker system or the other, a development indicating that they have violated rulings of the apex court which has empowered the federal government to withhold allocations to councils without democratically elected administrations.
The Supreme Court had in a unanimous ruling of its seven-man panel, whose lead judgment was read by Justice Justice Emmanuel Agim, held that it was unconstitutional for state governments to tamper with the allocations due to the local governments, while also outlawing the operation of the caretaker system in the councils among other declarations.
The judgment ordered the federation account to henceforth pay all monies including shares from taxes and other sources meant to the councils directly to their accounts. The court barred governors from dissolving democratically elected officials of local governments, while also declaring that it is unconstitutional for governors to tamper with council funds. The court said the 774 local government councils should be allowed to manage their funds. Aside from that, the court also barred the operation of caretaker officials in the councils. The federation account was empowered to withhold funds meant for councils that operate the caretaker system.
Investigations revealed that the 437 LGAs hammer is set to fall on are in the following states: Rivers(23); Jigawa (27); Anambra (21); Zamfara (14); Benue (23); Bauchi (20); Plateau(17); Abia(17); Katsina (34); Enugu (17); Cross Rivers(18); Sokoto (23); Kano(44); Yobe (17); Ondo(18); Osun (30); Akwa-Ibom (31); Imo (27 and Kwara (16). Delta State, which held elections for its 25 local governments on Saturday might be able to escape the hammer if the democratic structure is put in place before the next FAAC meeting.
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