By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
The Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, has declared that the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local governments takes immediate effect.
It should be recalled that the judgment, delivered on Thursday, July 11, 2024, declared it unconstitutional for state governors to withhold funds meant for local government administrations.
The Supreme Court also barred governors from dissolving democratically elected local government councils, stating that doing so would breach the 1999 Constitution. The judgment ruled that only democratically elected local government administrations, not caretaker committees, are entitled to manage their funds.
“Naturally one would be happy, Nigerians are happy about it. I call it local government emancipation judgment because it has really emancipated the local government from the shackles of the past,” Fagbemi said.
“I hope the local government officials will seize the opportunity and look at it as an opportunity to develop their various local governments. The ball is in the courts of the governors, let us see what they will come out with. The judgement is clear as to what they should do, the judgement is clear as to what consequences attach to failure or refusal to follow the judgement of the Supreme Court which takes immediate effect.”