Prominent activist lawyer Femi Falana has called on state governors to carefully study the recent Supreme Court judgment that granted financial autonomy to local governments across Nigeria. Falana emphasized that the ruling, which aims to promote accountability at the grassroots level, should not be perceived as stripping state governments of their influence over local government affairs.
Speaking on Channels Television’s *Sunrise Daily*, Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), highlighted the critical need for the judgment to be understood and implemented in a manner that enhances governance and public accountability.
“A lot depends on the Nigerian people because right now, it is difficult to talk about the autonomy of the local government. The state’s electoral commissions are manned by appointees of the state governors,” Falana said. He noted that these commissions have historically manipulated local government elections to ensure that only candidates from ruling parties emerge victorious.
Falana outlined the expected responsibilities of local governments under the new autonomy: “Local governments would be expected to fix some schools, tar some roads, and even pay some workers. It is not that state governments will no longer participate in the affairs of the local governments. The state governments should create state economic councils and allow the local government to participate in them, just like they are part of the federal economic council.”
He stressed the importance of governors studying the judgment to fully appreciate its implications: “The judgment has to be studied by the governors so that everybody will appreciate that what the Supreme Court has done is to promote public accountability at the grassroots levels.”
This call for careful consideration and implementation of the ruling reflects a broader push for improved governance and democratic practices in Nigeria’s local government system.
