July 11, (THEWILL) – The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has asked the 36 State governors and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister to account for funds meant for local councils in their areas.
This follows the judgment of the Supreme Court that granted full financial autonomy to the 774 local government councils in Nigeria.
THEWILL reports that the apex court, on Thursday, directed that Local Governments’ allocations from the Federation Account should be paid directly to them henceforth.
A seven-member panel of the apex court, led by Justice Mohammed Lawal Garba, declared unconstitutional the act by state governors to hold funds meant for Local Government (LG) administrations. It declared the act a clear violation of Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Reacting to the judgment, SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, who described the judgement as epochal, said Nigeria’s 36 governors and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) must account for and return funds meant for Local Councils or face legal action.
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