Regardless of the Supreme Court docket judgement of July 11, 2024, granting monetary autonomy to the nation’s 774 native authorities areas, state governors throughout the federation are but to abolish the controversial state/ LG joint accounts.
Consequently, the third tier of presidency nonetheless will get its federal allocation by way of the joint account as towards the direct fee ordered by the apex court docket.
Nonetheless, investigations performed by LEADERSHIP Weekend within the nation’s six geopolitical zones confirmed that the majority state governments have initiated strikes to obey the Supreme Court docket judgement.
Whereas some state governors have directed their LG chairmen to activate their treasury system to implement the ruling, others have adopted what they described as “guided implementation,” citing the councils’ lack of capability to go full swing.
A high LG administrator in one of many North Central states informed LEADERSHIP Weekend that the native governments have been given three months to excellent sure account paperwork earlier than they will obtain direct allocations.
He stated, “We’ve been given a grace interval of three months to hyperlink the native authorities accounts with the Nationwide Identification Quantity (NIN) and the Treasury Single Account (TSA). After assembly these standards, we will get our allocations instantly from the federation account. In July, we acquired our allocations by way of the state/LG Joint Account.”
He added that the native governments are able to utilise the autonomy granted them.
In Kwara State, the issue of native authorities administration began within the administrations of President Muhammadu Buhari and former Governor Abdulfattah Ahmed when there have been zero allocations to each the states and native authorities areas.
Throughout that interval the native authorities areas couldn’t even pay workers salaries in full, to not speak of executing any developmental tasks.
However when the administration of the incumbent Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq got here on board in 2019, it injected life into the native authorities administration.
The AbdulRazaq administration not solely cleared the backlog of salaries owed native authorities workers by the previous administration, but additionally ensured the common fee of their salaries in full.
Nonetheless, the federal government’s lack of ability to conduct native authorities elections since 2019 as a result of authorized obstacles was a serious setback for the native authorities administration within the state, because it was administered by unelected officers who weren’t accountable to the folks.
LEADERSHIP Weekend noticed that the native authorities areas within the state have buildings that would assist good governance at that stage and help the autonomy lately granted to them.
The native authorities areas have their respective secretariats: administration, works, finance, and well being departments.
The chairman of Kwara State Native Authorities Service Fee, Alhaji Umar Shero, stated the native governments are totally ready for autonomy, including that “that is what they’ve been eager for.”
On buildings, Shero stated the native authorities areas have their secretariats and numerous items and departments similar to the state governments.
He stated the legislative arm of presidency will oversee the monetary actions of the native authorities administrations at that stage and by the Workplace of the Native Authorities Auditor Basic.
In an interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend, an assistant chief planning officer of the Kano State Ministry of Native Authorities Affairs Garba Bello stated the state is ready for the monetary autonomy of the LGAs.
He stated the state has put monetary memoranda on the bottom for monetary regulation to make sure checks and balances.
In line with him, the memoranda spelt out how expenditure ought to be incurred or spent, with limits for native authorities chairman’s expenditure not exceeding N500,000. The place it exceeds, the councillors must give their approval.
The Ekiti State authorities has stated there is no such thing as a trigger for concern over the monetary autonomy lately granted to the native authorities.
The commissioner for native authorities affairs, Chief Folorunso Olabode, informed LEADERSHIP Weekend in Ado Ekiti that the councils had all the time been autonomous.
Olabode stated, “We don’t have points with monetary autonomy. The native authorities areas in Ekiti state are autonomous when it comes to their funds.
“The governor has nothing to do with it, and due course of is all the time adopted of their spending”.
He stated the state was lately recommended by the nationwide management of the Nigeria Union of Native Authorities Staff for its openness in managing and administering native authorities.
All 774 Councils Are Ready For Monetary Autonomy – ALGON President
In the meantime, the nationwide president of the Affiliation of Native Authorities of Nigeria (ALGON), Aminu Muazu Maifata, has declared that the 774 LGAs within the nation are ready for full autonomy granted by the Supreme Court docket.
He stated the problem of autonomy is just not new to the councils; it existed earlier than its eventual breach.
In line with him, shortly after the judgement, the affiliation’s Nationwide Govt Council (NEC) met in Nasarawa State in July to brainstorm on methods forward of implementing the decision.
“We’re totally conscious of the accountability and the load of our mandate as spelt out within the structure, and I can guarantee you that the third tier of presidency is ready and prepared for the unbiased it has constantly clamoured for and obtained.
“And one factor we have now going for us is the calibre of individuals manning the councils as govt chairmen. They’re individuals who’ve huge expertise of their numerous fields and left legacies of service the place they beforehand labored, be it in private and non-private sector. So, they’re able to carry these experiences to bear now that there might be no meddlesomeness of their actions,” he assured.
He stated the chairmen throughout the NEC vowed to show skeptics fallacious by working assiduously to rework the grassroots whereas effectively utilizing sources that may come their method.
On whether or not there are robust construction on the councils to leverage on, he defined that ALGON as a physique is initiating capability constructing for all actors and stakeholders to drive the method, starting from the legislative arms and civil servants.
“Past that, the Income Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Fee shows our allocations on their web site. On condition that scenario, we should be certain that each kobo is accounted for,” he stated.
