The Supreme Court delivered breaking news judgement yesterday, in the case brought to it against the 36 State Governors by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led Federal Government through the Honourable Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Barrister Laifu Fagbemi, SAN.
The key ingredients of the Judgment on Local Government Autonomy are as follows:
- The court held that it is illegal for Governors to dissolve democratically elected Local Governments.
- It orders the Federal Government to henceforth withhold allocations to Local Governments governed by unelected officials appointed by the Governor.
- The apex court barred the Federal Government from further paying LG allocations through the State Governments since the practice has been abused by Governors.
This has historically brought to an end defeaning and continuous noise as well as incessant postest against the interference of the State Governors by the larger sector of the Society, Nigerian masses led by the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), to which former Chairman, Ijebu East Local Government, Hon Wale Adedayo, fell Victim of being recently removed by Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, for toeing similar path of agitation. It’s in the record that this innocent Activist ealier petitioned Aremo Olusegun Osoba, former Governor of Ogun State and with this historic Judgement, he has just been vindicated as Hero of Democracy.
It’s part of the 2014 National Conference resolutions, also supported by the El – Rufai led All Progressives’ Congress (APC) 23 member Committee on true federalism in 2017 inaugurated by the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, and more is to follow like general acceptable minimum wage for workers, State Police and Others.
It must be noted that about 75% past and Present Presidents and Governors who are God fearing and most experienced in this area of Administration are in full support but Government must allow the Court to decide like this for posterity’s sake.
Therefore, anyone castigating Government for achieving the fear must be an enemy of progress and Society must see him or her as such.
If Mr President could boldly achieve this under his highly promising administration within a year, this is to tell us that he is geniunely out to protect the downtrodden.
Excesses of the Local Government Chairmen to avoid misplacement of priorities in terms of the most pressing needs of the People in their individual Communities, mismanagement of Government resources, corruption, embezzlement and maladministration could be easily curtailed by the respective State Governors through the Honourable Commissioner for Local Government, Local Government Civil Commissions as well as the Anti – Graft Agencies through the petitions brought before them by the Civil Societies and local People and we are now promising to start mobilising popular support for this patriotic assignment as Civil Societies.
“Better Nigeria, Yes, We Can…”
Comrade Awa Bamiji
National Coordinator, Coaliton of Pro-Democracy Groups for A Better Nigeria, youthsvoice@yahoo.com
Press Release, Friday, 12 July, 2024, dedicated to Today’s coronation of Olubadan of Ibadanland, His Imperial Majesty, Oba Owolabi Olakulehin.
