Abia Listed Among 20 States Without Elected LG Administrations Barred From Receiving July Allocations | #NwokeukwuMascot
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Abia Among 20 States Without Elected LG Administration Barred From Receiving July Allocation | #NwokeukwuMascot
Alex Otti | Hope Uzodimma | Sim Fubara |
Abuja, Nigeria — The Federal Government will withhold local government allocations from 20 states, including Rivers, Enugu, Kano, and Abia, starting this July. This move comes in compliance with a recent Supreme Court judgment aimed at ensuring local government autonomy.
Key States Affected:
- Rivers
- Enugu
- Kano
- Cross River
- Abia
- Jigawa
- Anambra
- Imo
- Kwara
- Zamfara
- Bauchi
- Plateau
- Katsina
- Sokoto
- Yobe
- Ondo
- Osun
- Delta
- Akwa Ibom
- Benue
The Supreme Court, in a ruling delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, barred the Federal Government from disbursing allocations to local governments that are not governed by elected officials. The judgment was based on a suit filed by the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, advocating for local government autonomy.
- The Federal Government is prohibited from releasing local government allocations through state governments.
- The practice of state governors retaining and misusing these funds was highlighted and condemned.
- States must conduct local government elections to qualify for future allocations.
In his judgment, Justice Agim criticized state governors for withholding allocations and using them at their discretion, to the detriment of local government councils. The ruling emphasizes the necessity for elected local government administrations to ensure accountability and proper governance at the grassroots level.
- In June, Jigawa State dissolved its elected council chairmen after amending local government laws.
- Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara withheld funds from the state electoral commission, intending to appoint caretaker chairmen.
- Anambra State Governor Charles Soludo appointed transition committee chairmen and councillors for the state's 21 local government areas.
These actions have resulted in the affected states being barred from receiving further local government allocations until they conduct proper elections. In July, the Federal Government allocated N293.82 billion to the 774 local government areas across the 36 states and the FCT, but the 20 states without elected administrations will not benefit from these funds.
This ruling underscores the Supreme Court's commitment to enforcing local government autonomy and ensuring that funds meant for grassroots development are not misappropriated by state governments. The affected states must now prioritize conducting local government elections to restore their access to federal allocations.
Stay tuned to #NwokeukwuMascot for ongoing updates and detailed analysis of the impact of this Supreme Court judgment on local governance across Nigeria.
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For further updates and reactions from various stakeholders, follow our continuous coverage of this pivotal legal development.
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