Supreme Court judgement on local government autonomy – Wetin e mean and why you suppose care

Di Supreme Court of Nigeria don deliver ogbonge judgement wey uphold di autonomy of di local goment councils for Nigeria as di third arm of goment.

Dis judgement follow one law suit wey di Attorney General of di Federation, Lateef Fagbemi bin file, wey ask court to give order say di take ova of local goment administrations by state govnors dey illegal and unconstitutional.

Oga Fagbemi point out as state govnors dey hold on to local goment moni and also how govnors dey dissolve democratically elected local govment councils anyhow, come replace dem wit appointed caretaker chairmen or administrators.

For di lead judgement wey Justice Emmanuel Agim deliver on behalf of a seven-man Supreme Court justices, e hold say, "the state retention of monies meant for local government councils dey illegal unconstitutional".

E note say di 1999 constitution don already tok say "monies accruing to di federation go dey distributed between di federal, state, and local goments in a manner wey di national assembly go detrmine".

"I hereby hold say local goment allocations shall henceforth be paid directly through local goment accounts," Justice Agim tok.

"Governors no get power to keep, control, manage, or disburse LG Funds under any guise whatsoever."

On di issue of appointment of caretaker chairmen to replace elected local goment chairmen, Justice Agim also tok say e dey very illegal and unknown to di constitution.

"A state govnor no get power to appoint anybodi as chairman or administrator of a local goment," Justice Agim tok, since di constitution don clearly provide say local goment leadership go emerge only through a democratic election.

Di oda six justices of di Supreme Court wey dey di panel agree wit di lead judgement, though one of dem, Justice Habeeb Adewale Abeni, disagree small wit di lead judgement.

Justice Abeni disagree wit di part wia di judgement say state goments no fit interfere whatsoever wit di way local goment funds dey administered.

E say if di local goment council agree wit di state goment on how dem suppose use funds belonging to dem, no be di business of di court to forbid am.

Wetin dis judgement go mean?

Oga Victor Opatola, wey be Lawyer commend di Attorney General of di Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.

Im tok say oga Fagbemi don start beta tin for di Nigeria judiciary system sake of say im personally drag di 36 states go court wit im office. Im tok say e no dey happun like dat bifor, na organisations, group of pipo dey do dis kain tin.

Im explain say di judgement of di Supreme Court dey "binding" to all. weda di National Assembly enact am as law or not e go still stand.

Oga Lateef Fagbemi bin file suit against di 36 states of di federation, and e bin want di Supreme Court to give order wey go stop state govnors from interfering wit local goments anyhow.

One of di tins wey oga Fagbemi bin want from di Supreme Court na to stop governors from suspending di local goment chairman wey come to office through election, and also for di court to order say local goment money from di federation account go dey go straight to di local goment accounts according to di constitution.

For inside di originating summons, Fagbemi tok say di constitution recognise di federal, state, and local governments as di three tiers of goment, and dat di three tiers of goment go dey collect money to carry out dia functions from di federation account.

E also tok say di constitution provide say di leadership of di local goments go be by a democratic election, but state governors don suspend di constitutional provisions even wen a state of emergency no dey in place for di states.

"The failure of di governors to put democratically elected local government system in place na deliberate subversion of di 1999 constitution wey dem and di president bin swear to uphold," Fagbemi tok.

E argue say since di government don refuse to ensure a democratically elected system for di local governments, e go dey against di constitution to continue to dey release funds to dem.

Di Supreme court grant all di reliefs.

With dis judgement, dis concerns suppose be a tin of di past.

E mean for instance say things go need to change and states like Rivers and odas wia di govnors appoint caretaker chairmen or sole administrators for di local goment areas, go need to adjust to comply to di Supreme Court ruling.

Wetin go happen to di joint State and LG account?

Di state goments bin argue say paying local goment monies directly to dia accounts go be a violation of di constitution.

Dem cite section 162 (6) of di constituion wey "Each State shall maintain a special account to be called 'State Joint Local Government Account' into which shall be paid all allocations to di Local Government Councils of di State from di Federation Account and from di Government of di State."

But di Justices of di Supreme Court tok say di intention of di framers of di constitution no be to enable state goments to hide behind dis provision to dey illegally hold on to funds wey suppose go to di local goments.

Justice Emmanuel Agim wey read di lead judgement tok say section 162(3) bin don already clearly tok say di money wey accrue to di federation go dey shared between di federal, state and local goments, so for di state goments to dey hold on to local goment money hiding under section 162(5) and (6), dey unconstitutional.

In di case of dis matter, di word 'shall' in section 162(6) of di constitution - even though e mean something mandatory - can be interpreted as 'may', Agim tok. And di oda five justices agree wit am wit di exception of Justice Habeeb Adewale Abeni.

Meanwhile Oga Opatola explain and clarify some important prayers to BBC Pidgin.

"According to di prayers of oga Lateef Fagbemi for im suit, Paragraph 15, page 9 no tok say make Federal goment expressly pay Local goment allocations directly to dia own accounts.

"Dis go only happun wen di state goment persistently refuse or fail to pay di local goments di actual amount wey di state goment receive from di federal goment on dia behalf."

Anoda part wey im chook eye put na paragraph 10, page 8 " Lateef Fagbemi pray di court to declare say make dem arraign any elected goment official or any oda official during or afta im tenure wey use either a state law or any administrative directive or order to dissolve or make dem to dissolve any democratically elected local goment councils of dia states.

Di arraignment na for criminal offence wey breach di constitution/contempt of court or breach of applicable criminal and penal laws." im add

Im explain say according to dis paragraph anybodi, govnor or administrative official wey dissolve or make dem to dissolve elected local goment official go face criminal offence for court during im tenure or wen im don comot from office.

'Govnors no support LG autonomy'

Currently, di Federal Goment dey get 52.68%, and states get 26.72%. In comparison, LGs get 20.60% of di kontri monthly revenue allocated by di Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) wey dey operate under di Presidency, and disbursed by di Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

Some state govnors no dey hide dia disagreement wit di idea of local goment autonomy.

Govnor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State bin don give toks for different forums dey argue say LG autonomy "dey against di spirit of true federalism".

"E no get any federal system for di world wey get three federal units," Soludo tok as a guest speaker on The Platform Nigeria during the 2024 democracy day celebration.

"Di counties for America wia we copy our democracy from, dia local goments no dey go to di centre to collect money."

"Each state suppose get power to design di kind local goment system dem want. Dat na wetin true federalism be about." E tok.

But Barrister Opatola tok say if state goments dey give di actual moni wey local goments suppose get to dem e go help accountability.

"Bifor now you no fo fit drag any local goment chairman or administrator go court for misappropraition of funds or corruption sake of say dem no dey get di moni wey dem suppose get directly from state goments, but wit dis judgement if state goment begin realease dia actual money to dem, eyes go dey on dem for accountability and you fit drag any of dem go court to answer how dem spend di moni, so e go help di pipo hold dis local goment administrators and chairmen accountable" im explain.

Meanwhile President Bola Tinubu say im dey happy wit di decision of di Supreme Court of Nigeria "as dem uphold di spirit, intent, and purpose of di Constitution of Nigeria on di statutory rights of local goments."

For statement Tinubu tok say as local goment administration no dey work well na one of di main challenges wey di affect di advancement of Nigeria over di years.

"My administration institute dis suit becos of our belief say our pipo must get relief and di judgement go make sure say only di local officials wey dey elected by di pipo go control di resources of di pipo." President Tinubu add.