ABUJA – Labour Party has commended the judgment of the Supreme Court over financial autonomy for the 774 local government councils in the country.
The party said that while the resolution of the crisis was late, it was better than never having such an end to the long due crisis where state governors take over funds disbursed for local government administration, from the federal coffers.
The Supreme Court declared on Thursday that it is unconstitutional for state governors to hold funds allocated for local government administrations.
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The seven-man panel, in the judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, declared that the 774 local government councils in the country should manage their funds themselves.
The Apex Court held that the power of the government is portioned into three arms of government, the federal, the state and the local government.
The court further declared that a state government has no power to appoint a caretaker committee and a local government council is only recognisable with a democratically elected government.
The judgment held that the use of a caretaker committee amounts to the state government taking control of the local government and is in violation of the 1999 Constitution.
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A statement by LP National Publicity Secretary, Obiorah Ifoh, read, “We at the Labour Party (LP) welcomed the Supreme Court decision granting financial autonomy to Local Government Councils in the 36 States of the federation including the Federal Capital Territory.
“This decision was long in coming but like the saying goes, it is better late than never.
“It has put to rest the debate as to whether or not local government areas that are the closest level of government to the ordinary people deserve to enjoy some form of autonomy to address challenges facing the masses within their jurisdiction.
“We can now safely say local government areas now have greater freedom to initiate and complete projects which will reduce suffering at the grass roots.
“This autonomy comes with a huge responsibility on local government councils just as councilors now owe their constituents a duty to hold local government chairmen accountable by ensuring prudent management of their resources.
“The expectation of Nigerians from the local government administration now is simple.
“They each must now take up the challenge of this new found independence to ensure judicious use of public funds in their custody.
We would also like to urge council chairmen not to see the additional inflow of public funds as an opportunity to engage in reckless spending and embarking on white elephant projects which can negate the whole essence of the financial autonomy granted them.”
