The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, has expressed relief over the Supreme Court’s verdict on local government financial autonomy. Speaking at the State House in Abuja on Friday, AbdulRazaq, accompanied by the governors of Bauchi and Imo States, Bala Mohammed and Hope Uzodimma, welcomed the ruling.
In its lead judgment, Justice Emmanuel Agim mandated the Federal Government to commence immediate and direct payment of local government funds to their exclusive accounts. Governor AbdulRazaq noted that this decision alleviates a significant burden on state governors, who have often had to bail out local governments financially.
“We welcome the ruling of the Supreme Court. Compliance is a given and our attorney generals have applied for the enrollment order which we’ll study carefully. But by and large, governors are happy with the devolution of power with respect to local government autonomy,” he stated.
The governor highlighted that the general public might not be aware of the extent to which states have been financially supporting local governments. He emphasized that the ruling does not adversely affect the states but rather allows local governments to better manage their own affairs.
