₦airaland Forum

–Human rights lawyer Femi Falana has
hailed the Supreme Court’s judgment which
gave full financial autonomy to the local
governments
–Falana expressed support for the apex
court's decision and noted that the judgement
would promote accountability at the grassroots
level
–He urged the 36 state governors to study
the judgement and noted that the ruling "was
not meant to strip the state governments of
their influence over the LGAs"

Senior Advocate of Nigeria and human rights activist, Femi Falana, has reacted to the Supreme Court’s judgement , instructing state governments to refrain from controlling the federal allocations of local governments.

Falana reacts as Supreme Court bars Nigerian governors from dissolving LG councils and granting them financial autonomy. Photo credit: Femi Falana Falana, who was a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme, declared support for the apex court judgement.

Recall that on Thursday night, Governor Charles
Soludo of Anambra state said the 36 state
governors will meet to review the court's final
judgement on LG autonomy.

Falana tasks state governors

But on Friday, July 12, Falana argued that the judgement was not meant to strip the state governments of its influence on the LGAs, but rather, would promote accountability at the grassroots level.

He said:
“A lot depends on the Nigerian people because right now, it is difficult to talk about the autonomy of the local government. The state’s electoral commissions are manned by appointees of the state governors.

“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.

“Now, local governments would be expected to fix some schools, tar some roads, and even pay some workers. So, it is not that state governments will no longer participate in the affairs of the local governments…the state governments should create state economic councils and allow the local government to participate in them, just like they are part of the federal economic council.

“The judgment has to be studied by the governors so that everybody will appreciate that what the Supreme Court has done is to promote public accountability at the grassroots levels.”

https://www.legit.ng/politics/1601922-lg-autonomy-falana-interprets-supreme-court-judgement-sends-message-nigerian-governors/

Better than that Odinkalu's vituperations!

LordIsaac:
Better than that Odinkalu's vituperations!

The supreme court merely reasserted the fact of the Constitution which is that the LG accounts belonged to the government at the LG level without addressing this LG autonomy idea.