*Prohibits Governors from Controlling Joint Accounts
By Sunday Apah
In a landmark decision, the Supreme Court has ruled on the case brought by the Federal Government against all 36 state governors regarding the autonomy of local governments.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), had sought complete autonomy and direct financial allocations for the 774 local governments across the country.
The apex court, led by Justice Emmanuel Agim, declared that it is unconstitutional for governors to retain funds intended for local government administrations, emphasizing that this practice has persisted for more than two decades.
Justice Agim emphasized that local governments must have control over their finances and should no longer be dependent on state governors for funds.
Furthermore, the court dismissed the objections raised by the governors and affirmed the right of the AGF to bring this case to uphold the constitution.
As a result of this ruling, the Supreme Court has mandated that funds allocated to local governments from the Federation Account should be remitted directly to them moving forward.
