FG inaugurates 10-man committee to enforce LG’s autonomy

The Federal Government has inaugurated a 10-man inter-ministerial committee to ensure the enforcement of local government’s autonomy.

Segun Imohiosen, director of information and public relations in the office of the secretary to the government of the federation (OSGF) confirmed this in a statement.

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The development comes on the heels of a Supreme Court ruling on July 11, 2024, which granted Nigeria’s local governments financial autonomy, ending their days of being beholden to the state governments.

An apex court seven-man panel, in the judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, declared that the 774 local government councils in the country should manage their funds themselves.

According to the statement, the move is aimed at bridging any interference in the apex court verdict and solidifying the existence of local government authorities as the third tier of government.

“This move is in line with President Bola Tinubu’s efforts to give appropriate implementation to the provisions of the constitution, which recognizes local governments as the third tier of government,” he said.

The 10-man committee has the SGF as its chairman, the minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy, the attorney-general of the federation and the minister of justice and minister of budget and economic planning as its members.

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Others are the accountant-general of the federation, governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, permanent secretary (Federal Ministry of Finance), chairman, Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, representative of state governors and representative of local governments.

“The committee’s primary goal is to ensure that local governments are granted full autonomy, allowing them to function effectively without interference from state governments,” Imohiosen said.