Local govt autonomy: Govs to meet over Supreme Court judgement

 

Following the Supreme Court ruling in favour of the federal government in suit challenging States’ over autonomy of local government councils, the 36 governors have said they will meet next week.

Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, NGF, and Governor of Kwara, AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman made this known on Friday in Abuja.

AbdulRahman said the Supreme Court judgement granting full autonomy to Local Government Areas has brought huge relief to governors.

He said many Nigerians were not aware of the burden the the state governors shoulder for the local government councils.

AbdulRahman, who met with President Bola Tinubu in the Presidential Villa on Friday, disclosed that governors were always bailing LGs out.

“We welcome the ruling of the Supreme Court. Compliance is a given and our Attorney Generals have applied for the enrollment order, which we’ll study carefully.

“But by and large governors are happy with the devolution of power in respect to local government autonomy. It relieves the burden on governors. Our people really don’t know how much states expend in bailing out local governments, and that’s the issue there,” the NGF Chairman told State House Correspondents.

Reacting to how the judgement would affect his state, Kwara, the governor said the implication is that the various LGs would have to manage themselves, especially on the payment of salaries to workers and traditional rulers.

He said, “It’s not going to affect Kwara State. We’ve never tampered with local government funds. So it’s going to continue. What the local governments have to do is to manage themselves, especially with the oncoming minimum wage, to manage their affairs and make sure salaries are paid, traditional rulers get their 5% and those are the main issues.

“Like I said, we haven’t seen the enrollment of the court order and so we really don’t know what is in there.

“The Forum will meet next Wednesday, to look at the issue wholly and then come up with a resolution on that.”