The Presidency has announced that local government areas across Nigeria will, from the end of January, begin receiving their allocations directly from the Federal Allocation Account Committee, FAAC, marking a significant step towards local government autonomy.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, made this announcement in an interview on Arise News on Thursday night.
Dare emphasised President Tinubu’s commitment to implementing the Supreme Court’s landmark July 2024 judgment, which declared state control over local government funds unconstitutional. recalls that in a unanimous decision delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agbim, the Supreme Court of Nigeria held that allocations to local governments should either be paid directly or Through State
However, given the ineffectiveness of the latter, the court-mandated direct payments to local councils.
The judgment followed a suit filed by the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, advocating for the financial autonomy of Nigeria’s 774 local government areas.
The presidential spokesman also called for greater scrutiny of state and local government financial management.
He emphasised that while the Federal Government often faces criticism, attention must also shift to how states and local governments utilise their resources.
“The framers of our constitution created the three tiers of government for a reason. It’s time to hold states and local governments accountable,” Dare added
