Naijacentral Naijacentral
By Naijacentral
Civil society groups have raised concerns over the continued delay in implementing the Supreme Court judgment granting full autonomy to local governments in Nigeria.
The Citizens Centre for Integrated Development and Social Rights (CCIDESOR), in collaboration with the Nigeria Civil Society Organisations Situation Room, criticized what they described as the failure of authorities to fully enforce the ruling, particularly regarding financial independence for local councils.
The briefing, themed “Local Government Administrative, Political, and Fiscal Autonomy as a Recipe for Economic Recovery,” emphasized the need for constitutional reforms to remove ambiguities surrounding the Joint Account System used by state and local governments.
Speaking on behalf of the groups during a quarterly press briefing in Enugu on Thursday , Executive Director, CCIDESOR, Emeka Ononamadu, called for the direct payment of local government allocations from the federation account to the councils.
According to him, the current structure still allows state governments to exert significant control over local governments, especially through their dominance over funds accruing to councils from the federation account.
Ononamadu noted that full implementation of the Supreme Court ruling would strengthen local governance and improve grassroots development across the country.
CCIDESOR’s executive director also called for stronger accountability mechanisms at the local government level and advocated for increased transparency in budgeting and procurement processes.
This, he said, would enhance citizen oversight, and guaranteed democratic elections for local governments in all states of the federation.
He stressed that Nigeria cannot achieve meaningful economic recovery without empowering its local governments with genuine administrative, political, and fiscal autonomy.
Ononamadu further warned that the continued delay in implementing full local government autonomy had allowed state governments to maintain significant influence over council administration, which they say had contributed to poor performance in several sectors.
According to him, the situation has led to weak rural infrastructure, underfunded primary schools, and poorly equipped health centres across many local communities.
For Advert placement, music promotion, event coverage, social media & event management, or to share breaking news story with us, contact: +2348134740033
