Femi Falana, a human rights activist, has said the onus now rests on Nigerians to monitor the activities of Local Government officials, following the ruling by the Supreme Court on financial autonomy.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court mandated the Federal Government to henceforth pay directly allocations to the coffers of local governments from the federation account. It also ruled that the federal government should withhold allocations to local councils being administered by officials selected by governors.
The apex court scolded the decades-long refusal of the state government on financial autonomy for local governments.
Speaking on the judgement on Channels Television’s flagship programme, Sunrise Daily, on Friday, Falana, a senior advocate, noted that the only way to both political stability and security in the country would be for Nigerians to monitor the activities of local, state and federal governments.
“The judgment is going to advance the struggle for accountability if Nigerians can own the system. If Nigerians can prepare to monitor the activities of local government officials, state government officials, and federal government officials- this is the only way we can have political stability and security in our country”, he said.
Falana also expressed support for the Supreme Court’s decision, saying it was not meant to strip the state governments of its influence on the Local Government Areas as is being feared, but, rather, would promote accountability at the grassroots level.
“I have been part of the local government autonomy struggle since its inception. And I think it is a struggle that will enhance accountability if the public can hold the struggle if Nigerians can be prepared to monitor the activities of the local, state and federal government officials.
The SAN traced the beginning of the LG autonomy struggle to the administration of former president, Olusegun Obasanjo.
“The battle started in 2004 when former president Olusegun Obasanjo ordered that the funds of the local government in Lagos state be confiscated because the Bola Tinubu administration had created new local governments.
“That order was directed at four states local governments but it was only Lagos state that stood its ground, and it won the case at the Supreme Court, that the president had no power to order the confiscation of the LG statutory allocations.
“Thereafter, the national assembly made the law for monitoring local government funds with the state government, by appointing monitoring committees. All the state governments went to court, and the Supreme Court said the federal government had no power to monitor the funds meant for local governments because the local government chairmen are democratically elected,” Falana stressed.
