S’Court ruling on LG Autonomy a relief to Govs – Kwara Gov

By Kunle Sanni

Governor AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman of Kwara has hailed the Supreme Court ruling affirming that local governments should receive allocations directly from the federal government, describing it as a relief to state governors.

Speaking to State House reporters at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday, AbdulRahman said, “It relieves the burden on governors. Our people really don’t know how much states spend bailing out local governments.”

The financial autonomy of local governments has been a contentious issue. Many policy experts have urged the federal government to grant local government administrators more independence from state governors’ control.

The administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari attempted to address this issue by signing an executive order granting financial autonomy to local governments. However, some state governors did not adhere to the order.

In a recent judgment, the Supreme Court ruled that state governments have been misusing their powers by withholding and using funds intended for local governments. The court also ordered the federal government to withhold allocations from local governments governed by unelected officials appointed by governors.

AbdulRahman, who is also the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), said Kwara is one of the states where local chairmen are already enjoying autonomy. He noted that the Supreme Court ruling would not affect Kwara as the current administration has never tampered with local government funds.

“It’s not going to affect the state; we’ve never tampered with local government funds. So it’s going to continue. What the local governments have to do is manage themselves, especially with the oncoming minimum wage, to manage their affairs and make sure salaries are paid, traditional rulers get their 5%, and those are the main issues,” he said.

Speaking on parts of the ruling that reportedly mandate state governors to conduct local government elections, AbdulRahman said his government is yet to see the details of the judgment. He added that the State Attorney General had applied for the court enrollment order.

“We welcome the ruling of the Supreme Court. Compliance is a given and our Attorney General has applied for the enrollment order, which we’ll study carefully. But by and large, governors are happy with the devolution of power concerning local government autonomy.

“Like I said, we haven’t seen the enrollment of the court order, so we really don’t know what is in there.”

NGF to Meet on Supreme Court Order

AbdulRahman also disclosed that governors under the aegis of the Nigerian Governors Forum would meet next week to discuss the issue and come up with a resolution.

He said, “The forum will meet next Wednesday to look at the issue wholly and then come up with a resolution on that.”

Regarding the minimum wage issue, AbdulRahman noted that the President had met with Labour, indicating that the decision might move beyond the current point. He added, “As you’re aware, the tripartite committee has met and submitted its report. Yes, a movement of figures is the prerogative of the president, which he will also transmit to the National Assembly for robust debate before it’s adopted.”