The Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Oluwatoyin Madein, and the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), have begun discussions on implementing the Supreme Court’s July 11, 2024, judgment on local government autonomy. However, delays persist in direct allocation disbursement to the 774 LGAs.
At a recent Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) Technical Sub-Committee meeting, it was revealed that only Delta State’s LGAs have submitted their bank account details for direct payment. The process has been stalled by difficulties in identifying LGAs with democratically elected officials, a key requirement for the implementation.
The Office of the Accountant-General has started receiving account details from various sources—some directly from LGAs, others through state governments—but full compliance is yet to be achieved. Consultations with the Attorney-General’s office are ongoing to establish clear guidelines.
A major challenge is verifying which LGAs have constitutionally elected chairmen. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has also begun profiling council chairmen and signatories to ensure financial accountability. However, the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) claims no official communication has been received regarding the process.
State Reactions:
• Ondo State: LGAs plan to submit account details after their Joint Allocation Committee (JAC) meeting.
• Benue, Kano, Oyo, Ogun, Kwara, Plateau, and Ekiti States: No official directives received on account submission.
• Osun State: Some LGAs have submitted account details but await implementation.
Despite the Supreme Court’s ruling eight months ago affirming LGA financial autonomy and ordering direct fund disbursement, implementation remains stalled due to procedural bottlenecks. The National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has warned against any attempt to undermine the process, insisting that LGAs have sufficient audited accounts to comply with the CBN’s requirements.
While progress is slow, stakeholders remain engaged in resolving the complexities surrounding local government autonomy.
Why are most of south east state and LGAs haven’t submitted their account details, mostly abia state always Skip a such opportunity away, why is his excellence driving us away, of what others are doing..