SANs hail Supreme Court over verdict on LG autonomy

By Lukman Olabiyi

Former Attorney General of Lagos State and Commissioner for Justice, Moyosore Onigbajo SAN hailed the Supreme Court’s ruling on the issue of Local Government autonomy.

Onigbajo in his reaction to the ruling said: “The Supreme Court has done its bit by correctly re-stating and interpreting constitutional provisions relating to the autonomy and independence of local governments.

“The Court further tightened the screws against control of LG funds by the states by mandating that Local Government funds should be released to them directly and not through the states or any joint account.

“All these are very good, but the problem really is in the enforcement of the judgment. Can Local Government Chairmen look their governors in the eye and refuse to either send the funds back to the governor who anointed him/her as the chairman or use the funds in the manner directed by the governor?

“Time will indeed tell. Be that as it may, however, the additional hurdles put in the way of diversion of LG funds by States is a welcome development.”

Also reacting to the apex court’s verdict, Abiodun Olatunji SAN said the judgment addressed the long-standing issue of state governors’ overbearing influence on local government administrations.

According to him, the influence has historically stifled development at the local level, with former President Muhammadu Buhari highlighting instances of governors pilfering local government resources.

“By affirming the autonomy of local governments and ensuring their financial independence, the Supreme Court has taken a decisive step towards strengthening Nigeria’s federal structure and democratic governance”, he said.