By Abubakar Yunusa
The Resource Centre for Human Rights & Civic Education (CHRICED) has called for the immediate and full implementation of the Supreme Court’s judgment on local government autonomy.
CHRICED also applauds the Supreme Court of Nigeria for weighing in on the ongoing battle between the Federal Government and the state governors regarding the full autonomy of the constitutionally recognized 779 Local Government Areas across the country.
The Supreme Court ruled that the Federal Government should pay monies due to the Local Governments from the Federation account directly to the third tier of government.
The Executive Director of the Center, Comrade Ibrahim M. Zikirullahi, in a statement yesterday said, “We consider the landmark judgment delivered earlier today by the court to be legally and morally in tandem with the principles of justice, equity, fairness, respect for the constitution, and the rule of law.
“We equally salute the courage and firmness of the lead judge, Justice Emmanuel Agim, who stated in his judgment that the state governments’ refusal of financial autonomy for local governments has gone on for over two decades.
“It is equally commendable that the apex court, in its ruling, also barred governors from the usual practice of arbitrarily dissolving democratically elected Local Government councils in the country and replacing them with selected caretaker committees, a practice which is not only illegal but contravenes all known principles and tenets of democratic governance.
“We call for the immediate and full implementation of this Supreme Court judgment and urge all the law enforcement agencies and departments to ensure that this verdict is fully implemented as directed by the court.
It is indeed commendable that the Federal Government has taken this far-reaching step, having realized that cash withdrawals and transactions of the State Joint Local Government Accounts (SJLGA) pose the biggest corruption, money laundering, and security threats at the grassroots levels and to the entire financial system and the country.
“It is our hope that the Supreme Court’s decision will be fully implemented to the benefit of the Nigerian people.”
Continuing, he said, “For us at CHRICED, the verdict of the apex court on this lingering matter is instructive in the sense that it is one major step aimed at correcting two of the numerous anomalies that have been introduced by the Nigerian political elites into our democratic culture as a nation.”