LG Autonomy: Makinde Calls Emergency Meeting, Forms Committees To Review Supreme Court Judgement

Reported by Ayooluwa Afolabi

Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde summoned an emergency stakeholders’ consultative meeting of interest groups to tinker on the way forward on the Supreme Court\'s recent ruling, which granted financial autonomy to local governments.

The governor, who also set up two committees - Technical and Legal- to review the apex court judgment, expressed displeasure at what he called a “lacuna”, which existed in the court decision.

The committee was given four weeks to present its report to the government.

Recall that the Supreme Court last week granted autonomy to local governments, which is the third tier of government.

Governor Makinde addressed the stakeholders before a closed-door session with committee members at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office, Agodi State Secretariat, yesterday.

He said the purpose of the stakeholders\' engagement was to discuss the Supreme Court\'s decision regarding financial autonomy for the local governments.

Despite the court’s decision, Makinde emphasized that the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) will continue to deposit local government allocations into the States/Local Governments Joint Account as stipulated in the 1999 Constitution.

Governor Makinde announced that the FAAC will delay the implementation of the Supreme Court’s decision for the next 90 days, starting at its meeting on Tuesday, July 16.

Makinde while speaking at a meeting on Monday declared that his government will not allow the people of the state to suffer from the fallout of the Supreme Court judgment.

His words: “Let me thank you all for joining this important consultative meeting. I want us to discuss the decision of the Supreme Court as it concerns the financial autonomy of the local government councils.

“I believe a lacuna has been created between the decision and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. We all swore to uphold the constitution but the law is the law.

“If the law is in conflict, it behoves us to look for our home-grown solution that can ensure that we have transparency and operate with our people. This is because when two elephants are fighting, the grass will suffer.”

He further noted, “Since the beginning of this administration, we have conducted two local government elections. When I was sworn in, I dissolved the local government.

“The Supreme Court just basically said to us that governors don’t have the right to dissolve the councils, but why did I dissolve them then?

“It was because elections were held into the LCDAs, and the same Supreme Court has now said that only 774 LGAs are in Nigeria. So, there is confusion in the land.”

Governor Makinde brought to light the state’s efforts in addressing local governance challenges, emphasizing the administration’s achievements since 2019, including the payment of backlogged salaries, pensions, and gratuities, as well as improvements in primary healthcare facilities and education infrastructure.

“We were able to clear those salary arrears. We paid N18bn in pension and gratuities over these periods. We upgraded about 209 PHCs, equipped about 264, and completed 60 model schools.

“We constructed and renovated hundreds of primary school classrooms and fixed some inner roads, but there are still challenges that we have to address.

“We still have a backlog of gratuities and pensions. The local government is owing about N55bn in pension and gratuities,” the governor stated.

Governor Makinde also reiterated the importance of cooperation between different levels of government for the benefit of the citizens.

“Our people do not care if the road is fixed by the FG or the state government or the LG. They just want to see good roads,” he said.

“For us in Oyo State, we can solve our problems, deal with our situation, and prioritize our people. Our pass mark is to discuss among ourselves and whatever we agree upon,” he added.

Some of the stakeholders who attended the meeting include members of Oyo State chapter, Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON), Attorney General of the State and Commissioner for Justice, Abiodun Aikomo, Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Otunba Ademola Ojo and Chairman, House of Assembly Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters.

Others in attendance are local government chairmen, leaderships of the National Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, representatives of the Nigerian Union of Teachers, NUT, Nigerian Union of Pensioners, NUP, Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and Trade Union Congress, TUC, among others.