The Board of Trustees of the Association of Local Government Organisation of Nigeria (ALGON) has congratulated President Bola Tinubu and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, following the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to Nigeria’s 774 local governments.
In a statement in Abuja on Sunday, ALGON’s BoT Chairman, Shaban Ohinoyi Shuaibu, hailed the judgment as a significant milestone, commending President Tinubu’s political will and support in achieving the feat.
Shuaibu described the ruling as a victory for the people of Nigeria and a step towards decentralising power, even as he acknowledged the imperative of additional constitutional reforms.
ALGON BoT further urged the government to scrap State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECOMs) and empower the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct uniform elections for the 774 local governments and align the life of local government with the four-year tenure of state and federal offices.
The Association further urged the removal of Sections 7 and 8 from the Constitution to streamline governance, saying the ALGON BoT is committed to supporting the federal government in ensuring that the 774 local governments are accountable to the people.
Shuaibu encouraged all Nigerians to participate actively in local government affairs.
The BoT also ratified the engagement of Samuel Babatunde of S&B Management and Accounting Solutions Ltd to represent the 774 local governments in the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and manage their financial dealings.
