LGAs Autonomy: Former Council Chairman Hon. Joseph Ikpea Applauds Supreme Court Judgement
A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo State, Hon. Dr. Joseph Ikpea, has commended the seven-man panel of the Supreme Court of Nigeria led by Justice Emmanuel Agim, for their boldness and courage in delivering a landmark judgement that affirms the full autonomy of local governments in Nigeria.
Hon. Ikpea was reacting to the ruling delivered by the Supreme Court on Thursday, July 11, 2024, in which it declared that it is unconstitutional for state governors to hold onto funds meant for local government (LG) administrations. The court also directed that local government allocations from the Federation Account should be paid directly to them henceforth, and not to state governments’ coffers.
This judgment grants financial autonomy to the 774 local government councils in the country, allowing them to manage their funds themselves. The court also barred governors from dissolving democratically elected local government councils, stating that doing so would breach the 1999 Constitution. This landmark judgment comes after months of calls for local government autonomy, supported by President Bola Tinubu and the Federal Government, which sued the 36 state governors over alleged misconduct of local government funds.
In a statement issued on Friday, Hon. Joseph Ikpea, a former Esan South East Local Government Council Chairman, considers LG autonomy, as an issue to a large extent, resolve most of Nigeria’s developmental challenges.
He urged the leaders who would be at the helm of affairs of local governments going forward, to judiciously use the resources that would be allocated to their councils, investing them in projects that would improve the lives of the people they lead; projects such as functional primarily healthcare centres, schools, scholarships to indigent students, provision of agricultural inputs, loans to small businesses, clean water supply, rural electrification etc.
“With this landmark judgement, the panel of Supreme Court judges Led by His Lordship Justice Agim have imprinted their feet on the sand of time. Nigerians look forward to the Supreme Court delivering more pro-people judgements that will address the niggling problems of the society,” Ikpea stated.
The APC Chieftain commended President Tinubu for taking the bull by the horns and doggedly fighting to grant autonomy to local governments. He urged local governments to vindicate the President’s belief that if they have control over their funds, more Nigerians will feel the impact of democracy and reap its bountiful dividends.
