LG Autonomy: FG explains delayed implementation

The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, has declared that the federal government did not give state governments a moratorium in the implementation of the Supreme Court judgement on full financial autonomy of the local government areas. The AGF explained that there is a delay in the full implementation of the apex court verdict due to the measures being put in place by the federal government towards achieving a successful implementation. Fagbemi spoke on Monday while addressing newsmen after he was honoured with an honorary degree during the 12th convocation ceremony and 15th Founder’s Day Event of the Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD). According to him, there is no going back in the implementation of the judgement for the 774 local government areas to be given financial autonomy in order to ensure development at the grassroots level. He warned states not to commit contempt of court by disobeying the verdict of the Supreme Court, adding that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was determined to ensure all duly constituted and elected local government administrators received their allocations directly from the federation account. Fagbemi said, “Unfortunately, I know it has been in the media that they gave them (the governors) a three-month moratorium, which is not the position. The position is that yes, the judgement was delivered, but we felt that there is a need to put some things in place before the full implementation. That it is going to be implemented is sacrosanct; nobody can run away from it. ReplyForwardAdd reaction

Supreme Court Judgement: Nasarawa State Moves to Reform LG Structure

The Nasarawa State Government has introduced a bill to the State House of Assembly aimed at revising the local government system in line with the Supreme Court’s recent decision on local government autonomy. The proposed legislation, titled “A Bill for a Law to Repeal and Re-enact the Establishment, Structure, Composition, Finance and Function of Local Government System in Nasarawa State, 2024,” seeks to update the current framework to reflect the new mandate. During a recent session, the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Danladi Jatau, noted that the bill represents a move to reshape the local government structure to align with the Supreme Court’s ruling on financial independence for local councils.  The House Leader, Hon. Suleiman Azara, presented the bill for the first reading, with the Minority Leader, Hon. Luka Zhekaba, providing support. The state government’s plan, as outlined by the Chairman of the House Committee on Information, Hon. Jonah Dizaho, includes the removal of the joint account system and the elimination of the Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs.  The second reading of the bill is scheduled for October 16, 2024.

Kogi Women Protest Alleged EFCC Harassment o Yahaya Bello, Call for Presidential Intervention

Yahaya Bello Pays N497m WAEC Fees For 15,033 Students

In what some observers have termed as a drama sketch being acted at the pleasure of the powers that be, a large crowd of women took to the streets on Saturday to protest what they called the harassment of former Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi State by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The protesters appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene, urging him to rein in the EFCC. They maintained that Bello had accomplished more for the state than any other governor since its inception. Led by various community leaders and political supporters, the women gathered in Lokoja, the state capital, denouncing what they called a politically motivated “witch-hunt” by the EFCC. The group urged the President to act swiftly by ensuring the EFCC allows the judiciary to handle the matter. They claimed that the agency’s actions earlier in the week were part of a targeted attempt to damage Bello’s reputation, warning that they would not stand idly by and watch his safety be jeopardized. “We stand with our leader, Yahaya Bello in this trying time. We believe he has been targeted unfairly and we demand justice. We won’t watch him lose his life,” one of the protesters, identified as Hajiya Halima Abass, said. “The EFCC should focus on genuine cases of corruption, not political vendetta,” another protester, who simply identified herself as Mrs. Boluwaji, added. The various women group leaders, who spoke in their local dialects – Igala, Ebira, Yoruba and others – urged the EFCC to be professional in its “handling of the case against the state leader, Alhaji Yahaya Bello.” They chanted songs, saying that Kogi people were fearless people and reiterated that they would not stand by and continue watching what they called a show of shame, especially after the former governor had made himself available to EFCC. They wondered why the EFCC refused to interrogate or detain him while he was in their office but rather went shooting at night at the Kogi Government Lodge to arrest a man who had voluntarily walked up to them earlier in the day. “We Kogi people of Ebira descent cherish what our son, Yahaya Bello, did for us as governor. That is why we’re out on the streets to ask EFCC to leave him alone. “We are not giving him out to anyone to crucify. He will come back to us hale and hearty,” one of the women leaders from Ebiraland, who simply identified herself as Hajiya Fatima, said. “We, the Igala people from Kogi East, we are here because of our leader, Alhaji Yahaya Bello. He has never done anything bad to us. To those people that are looking to take him, please leave him alone. We have never seen the kind of his government before. He did well for the state,” another women leader who identified herself as Deborah said.

Presidency Reacts To Supreme Court Ruling On Local Government Autonomy

The presidency has reacted to Thursday’s victory against 36 state governors at the Supreme Court on local government autonomy. The Supreme Court ruled that all federal allocations for local government councils should be paid directly into their accounts. In Nigeria, most states operate a joint account with local governments, Justice Emmanuel Agim, who led a seven-member panel of justices, said local government allocation should be paid directly to a separate account belonging to each local government. The federal government through the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) approached the Supreme Court, in a suit, marked SC/CV/343/2024, and sought that 36 governors of the federation grant full autonomy to the 774 local governments. Giving details of federal government’s prayer in the suit, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, on his X handle on Thursday, wrote, “The details of the Supreme Court ruling giving 774 local councils financial autonomy “The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that all federal funds for local government councils should be paid directly into their accounts. “Justice Emmanuel Agim, who led a seven-member panel of justices, delivered the judgment in a suit filed by the federal government against the 36 state governors. “According to the judgment, henceforth, no more payments of local government area allocations will be made to state government accounts. The court also prohibited the governors from receiving, tampering with, or withholding funds meant for local governments. “Furthermore, the court barred the governors from dissolving democratically elected officials for local governments and deemed such actions a breach of the 1999 Constitution. “The federal government had approached the Supreme Court with a suit seeking to compel the governors of the 36 federating states to grant full autonomy to local governments in their domains. The suit, marked SC/CV/343/2024, was filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), on behalf of the Federal Government. “The Federal Government accused the state governors of gross misconduct and abuse of power in its suit, which was based on 27 grounds. In the originating summons, the FG prayed the Supreme Court to make an order stating that funds standing to the credit of local governments from the Federation Account should be paid directly to the local governments rather than through the state governments. “The justice minister also requested an order restraining governors, their agents, and privies from receiving, spending, or tampering with funds released from the Federation Account for the benefit of local governments when no democratically elected local government system is in place in the states. “Finally, the Federal Government sought an order stopping governors from constituting caretaker committees to run the affairs of local governments, contrary to the constitutionally recognized and guaranteed democratic system.”

BREAKING: It’s Unconstitutional For Govs To Hold LG Funds, Supreme Court Declares

The Supreme Court, on Thursday, declared that it is unconstitutional for state governors to hold onto funds meant for Local Government (LG) administrations. He said local governments has since stopped receiving the money meant for them from the state governors who act in their stead. Justice Agim noted that the 774 local government councils in the country should manage their funds themselves. He dismissed the preliminary objections of the defendants (state governors). The suit filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, the Federal Government sought an order preventing the governors from arbitrarily dissolving democratically elected councils. Justice Agim said the AGF has the right to institute the suit and protect the constitution. The apex court consequently directed that Local Government allocation from the Federation Account should be paid directly to them henceforth. More to follow

LG autonomy: S/Court gives Govs 7 days to respond Suit

The Supreme Court, Thursday, gave the 36 State Governors seven days to file their defence in reponse to the Federal Government suit seeking autonomy for 774 local governments in the country. The Apex court also ordered the AGF to, upon receipt of the governors defence, file his reply within two days. The seven-man panel led by Justice Garba Lawal issued the order while ruling on an application for an abridgment of time argued by the Attorney General of Federation ( AGF) Lateef Fagebemi SAN. The apex court said that the decision of the court was predicated on the national urgency of the suit and the non objection from the attorneys general of the states of the federation. It insisted that filing of all processes and exchanging of same must be completed within the time. Justice Lawal ordered that the 8 states that were not in attendance at Thursdays proceedings must be served with fresh hearing notice. The 8 states are Borno, Kano, Kogi, Niger, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, and Sokoto, whose attorneys general were absent in court despite being served with hearing notice. In the meantime, the matter is adjourned to June 13 for hearing of the suit. The FG, through the AGF, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, dragged the 36 state governors to the supreme court over alleged misconduct in the local government administration. Specifically, the AGF is seeking full autonomy for LG as third tiers of government in the country. The Governors were sued through their respective State Attorneys General. In the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, the AGF is praying the Apex Court for an order prohibiting State Governors from unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders for local governments.. In the originating summons, AGF is also praying the Apex Court for an order permitting the funds standing in the credits of local governments to be directly channelled to them from the Federation Account in line with the provisions of the Constitution as against the alleged unlawful joint accounts created by governors. The summon, personally signed by AGF, seeks an order of the Apex Court stopping governors from constituting Caretaker Committees to run the affairs of local governments as against the Constitutionally recognized and guaranteed democratically system. It also applied for an order of injunction restraining the governors, their agents and privies from receiving, spending or tampering with funds released from the Federation Account for the benefits of local governments when no democratically elected local government system is put in place in the states.