Reactions have continued to trail the supreme court’s judgement which granted financial autonomy to 774 Local Governments in Nigeria, and however declared that it is unconstitutional for state governors to hold onto funds meant for the administration of the third tier of government.
It would be recalled that, the Apex Court in its lead judgement read by Justice Emmanuel Agim consequently directed that Local Government Allocations from the Federation Account should be paid directly to them henceforth, and not to state government’s coffers.
Justice Emmanuel Agim ordered the immediate compliance of the judgement, stating that no state government should be paid monies meant for Local Governments.
Some respondents in exclusive interactions with acrossnigerianews.com aired their views on judgement of the Apex Court, which granted financial autonomy to 774 Local Governments in Nigeria.
In his own reaction, Mr Adewale Thomson from Oyo West Local Government, Oyo State lauded the supreme court’s judgement which allow the council areas across the federation to breath from the earlier strangulation of the state governments.
He said, the case instituted by the Federal Government via the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN and which favourably dispensed by the Apex Court, was no doubt a judgement won by the common masses.
Comrade Richard Babatunde from Igbeti, Olorunsogo Local Government, who is also an activist and Politician disclosed that, the judgement dispensed by the Supreme Court was applauded and laudable, hinting that the outcome would address what had gone wrong across the council areas in Nigeria.
In his emphasis, he reiterated that the dispensed justice would in no small measures allow the rural dwellers to live comfortably henceforth, but not existing as usual.
Babatunde maintained that the concept of true governance would be felt at the council areas henceforth, if the council chairmen could prioritise implementation of infrastructures and other laudable programmes and policies which are for the comfort of the rural dwellers.
Another respondent, Mr Dhikirullah Olamilekan in Itesiwaju Local Government Area of Oyo State asked the state governments not to lord on local government chairmen again, asking them to allow the third tier of government to breath and henceforth allow the rural dwellers to feel the positive impacts of good governance.
Olamilekan also warned the council chairmen not to see the financial autonomy granted to council areas as opportunity to enrich themselves and people around them, calling on State and Federal Governments to constitute unbiased external auditors who would see to how monies to be sent to them, would be prudently and judiciously utilised.
Comrade Jamiu Aderibigbe in Akinyele Local Government commended this judgement, saying that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would be greatly remembered for attainment of this feat.
