•Femi Falana, SAN
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights activist, Femi Falana has called on Nigerians, to be prepared to monitor the activities of the local government officials in the wake of the judgment by the Supreme Court.
The apex court had yesterday in its lead judgment read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, mandated the federal government to begin immediate and direct payment of local government funds to the latter’s exclusive accounts.
The Supreme Court scolded the decades-long refusal of the state government on financial autonomy for local governments.
Following the judgment, Falana a guest on Channels Television today, noted that the only way to both political stability and security in the country, would be for Nigerians to monitor the activities of local, state and federal governments.
He said, “The judgment is going to advance the struggle for accountability if Nigerians can own the system. If Nigerians can prepare to monitor the activities of local government officials, state government officials, and federal government officials- this is the only way we can have political stability and security in our country”.
Falana also expressed support for the Supreme Court’s decision, saying it was not meant to strip the state governments of its influence on the Local Government Areas as is being feared, but, rather, would promote accountability at the grassroots level.
“I have been part of the local government autonomy struggle since its inception. And I think it is a struggle that will enhance accountability if the public can hold the struggle if Nigerians can be prepared to monitor the activities of the local, state and federal government officials.
The SAN traced the beginning of the LG autonomy struggle to the administration of former president, Olusegun Obasanjo.
“The battle started in 2004 when former president Olusegun Obasanjo ordered that the funds of the local government in Lagos State be confiscated because the Bola Tinubu administration had created new local governments.
“That order was directed at four states local governments but it was only Lagos State that stood its ground, and it won the case at the Supreme Court, that the president had no power to order the confiscation of the LG statutory allocations.
“Thereafter, the national assembly made the law for monitoring local government funds with the state government, by appointing monitoring committees. All the state governments went to court, and the Supreme Court said the federal government had no power to monitor the funds meant for local governments because the local government chairmen are democratically elected”.
He said the judgment of the Supreme Court as of then, had led to diversion of funds meant for the development of the local governments by the state governments.
“So since 1999, money meant for local government has been diverted in the majority of states in the country.
“This was what informed the decision of the federal government this time around, to ask the Supreme Court to intervene. And the Supreme Court did so. It is now left for the Nigerian people, to actualise the terms of the judgment to the benefit of our people.
“The implementation of the Supreme Court judgment rests on the people, because right now, it is difficult to talk about the autonomy of the local government because the political structure of the LGAs is manned by the state governments.
“And what they have done over the years is to manipulate the local government elections in a way that only the candidates of the ruling parties would be declared the winners.”
