Femi Falana, Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and human rights activist, has urged Nigerians to actively monitor the activities of local government officials following the recent judgment by the Supreme Court.
He revealed this while speaking as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily program on Friday.
Falana highlighted the importance of public vigilance in ensuring political stability and security.
“The judgment is going to advance the struggle for accountability if Nigerians can own the system,” Falana stated.
“If Nigerians can prepare to monitor the activities of local government officials, state government officials, and federal government officials, this is the only way we can have political stability and security in our country.”
“I have been part of the local government autonomy struggle since its inception. And I think it is a struggle that will enhance accountability if the public can hold the struggle to monitor the activities of the local, state, and federal government officials,” he added.
“The battle started in 2004 when former president Olusegun Obasanjo ordered that the funds of the local government in Lagos State be confiscated because the Bola Tinubu administration had created new local governments.”
“That order was directed at four states’ local governments, but it was only Lagos State that stood its ground, and it won the case at the Supreme Court, that the president had no power to order the confiscation of the LG statutory allocations.”
Falana explained that subsequent laws made by the National Assembly allowed for state government monitoring of local government funds, but state governments challenged this, leading to a Supreme Court ruling that the federal government had no power to monitor funds meant for local governments.
“So since 1999, money meant for local government has been diverted in the majority of states in the country,” he noted.
He concluded by emphasizing the critical role of Nigerians in implementing the Supreme Court’s judgment.
“It is now left for the Nigerian people to actualize the terms of the judgment to the benefit of our people.
“The implementation of the Supreme Court judgment rests on the people because right now, it is difficult to talk about the autonomy of the local government because the political structure of the LGAs is manned by the state governments.
“And what they have done over the years is to manipulate the local government elections in a way that only the candidates of the ruling parties would be declared the winners,” Falana said.
The ruling, delivered on Thursday by Justice Emmanuel Agim, mandates the Federal Government to commence immediate and direct payments of local government funds into their exclusive accounts.
(All News)