The Senate has strongly supported the Supreme Court’s ruling that grants financial autonomy to Nigeria’s 774 local governments.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio stated this yesterday shortly after the Senate reconvened from a closed session, where they discussed a motion by Senator Tony Nwoye (LP-Anambra).
Nwoye’s motion addressed concerns regarding attempts by certain state governments, through their Houses of Assembly, to pass legislation that would undermine the Supreme Court’s decision regarding financial autonomy for local government system.
During the session, Akpabio affirmed, “We stand firmly behind the Supreme Court’s ruling and its implications for local government autonomy.”
He noted that while examining the motion, they identified that some of the proposed actions could conflict with existing constitutional provisions. Ultimately, the Senate agreed on two of Senator Nwoye’s six requests.
Akpabio emphasised the importance of this initiative, stating, “We believe that a key legacy of this administration, as well as the 10th Senate and National Assembly, will be the commitment to reform local government, ensuring that funds allocated to local governments are used effectively for the benefit of rural communities.”
Following this discussion, the Senate approved two of Nwoye’s requests and called on all state and local governments to comply with the recent Supreme Court ruling concerning the distribution and use of funds for local governments across Nigeria.
The Senate also pledged to amend relevant constitutional provisions to guarantee full autonomy for local governments.
Akpabio thanked his colleagues for their contributions, specifically Senator Tony Nwoye, for raising the motion regarding the attempts to bypass the Supreme Court’s ruling.
He assured that the National Assembly would make the necessary constitutional amendments to ensure local governments have complete autonomy in their administration.
