Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has praised the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold fiscal autonomy for local government councils across Nigeria.
In a statement posted on Thursday via X, Atiku welcomed the decision as “a win for the people of Nigeria” and a move in the right direction.
The Supreme Court’s judgement reverses the earlier practice of transferring local council funds to state government accounts.
Atiku slammed the previous arrangement, claiming that it was the result of a premature compromise.
Showing his support for the ruling, Atiku said, “I align with the decision of the Supreme Court that the structure of the Nigerian government is portioned into three layers, and of these, the local governments should be centres of development.”
The former Vice President went further, advocating for an expansion of fiscal autonomy beyond Federation Account allocations.
“I also share the belief that fiscal autonomy for the local governments should not be limited to revenues from the Federation Accounts but, indeed, should apply to internally generated revenue from the respective local government authorities,” he stated.
Atiku raised concerns about state governments, particularly in urban areas, interfering with local councils’ revenue generation.
He wrote, “Many of our states, especially those in the ultra-urban areas with high-density economic activities, have become notorious for muscling local councils into generating revenue on items that border on motor parks, outdoor advertising, rents, and many more.”
Furthermore, Atiku applauded the Supreme Court’s role, saying, “The verdict of the court is in tandem with the core functions of the Supreme Court as an arbitration court between and among governments.”
The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that state governors’ control over cash granted to local government administrations is unconstitutional.
The seven-man tribunal, led by Justice Emmanuel Agim, ruled that the country’s 774 local government councils should manage their own money.
The Supreme Court ruled that the government’s power is divided among three branches: federal, state, and local.
The court also decided that a state administration has no authority to appoint a caretaker committee and that a local government council may only be recognised by a democratically elected government.
