Sen. Ali Ndume, the Chief Whip of the Senate, has declared that President Bola Tinubu’s most outstanding accomplishment since his inauguration in 2023 is the successful securing of financial independence for local governments.
Ndume praised the Tinubu administration for taking the initiative to file a lawsuit with the Supreme Court.
Persecondnews reported that the Supreme Court made a landmark ruling on Thursday, ordering that all future funds allocated to local governments from the Federation Account be paid directly to the LGs, circumventing state governments.
Justice Emmanuel Agim emphasized that a new era of direct funding and self-governance must now replace the unconstitutional denial of financial autonomy to LGs, which has continued for more than two decades.
In a statement made available to journalists on Friday, Ndume urged Tinubu to swiftly act on the court’s ruling and implement its decision without hesitation, emphasizing the need for the benefits of good governance to be tangible and felt by the grassroots population.
According to Ndume, since state governors took control of LG administration in Nigeria, citing a disputed provision in the 1999 Constitution as amended, the grassroots has seen no significant progress or development.
He said: “This court action instituted at the behest of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is the biggest of his achievements. I’m very happy about the development, and I’m hoping that this will be the beginning of the liberation of local governments in Nigeria.
“I urge the president to immediately commence the implementation of the Court judgment.
“Local government councils need to start getting their monthly allocations immediately without any further delays.
“The people at the grassroots level will begin to feel the impacts of good governance now. The National Assembly made several attempts to amend the 1999 Constitution and address this grey area.
But governors didn’t allow the State Assemblies to give the constitutional concurrence. That was how the attempts failed.
“Pres. Muhammadu Buhari also tried to intervene. Governors didn’t allow him. With this Supreme Court judgment, the issue has finally been resolved. No more unnecessary deductions from funds earmarked for local governments.
“The people can now hold the council chairmen accountable for how they spend their monthly allocations. They will begin to demand true accountability and judicious use of the funds they’ll be getting. I salute Tinubu’s courage.”
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