The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON) has hailed the Supreme Court verdict that granted financial autonomy to local government areas.
“It is a welcome development as you all know even though there are certain states that have been enjoying this type of autonomy before now,” the ALGON National President Maifata Aminu Mu’azu said about the historic verdict on Friday’s edition of Channels Television’s Politics Today.
In its judgement on Thursday, the Supreme Court ordered the Federal Government to pay funds directly to local council area accounts.
It also described the action of state governors holding onto local government funds as unconstitutional.
According to the ALGON chief, the development is worth celebrating, especially for those at the grassroots. He said local government areas should be allowed to “breathe” by letting the verdict take course.
“So, it is a welcome development that each and every person most especially people at the grassroots welcome. We cannot say there are losers and winners. It is a unanimous decision of the Supreme Court,” he said.
“Since the Supreme Court has spoken and people are so happy about the decision, then as law-abiding citizens, we just have to bow and follow strictly and allow local government councils to breathe.
The National Coordinator of the Joint Initiative Forum Kola Onadipe also corroborated the ALGON president’s position and labelled the Supreme Court’s judgement as a new dawn for Nigeria.
“The fundamental is the fact that everybody in Nigeria today, except perhaps the governors is not happy. Everybody is happy. That is the truth,” Onadipe said on the current affairs show.
“It is a new dawn for us. For us, we have been working on this thing for the past 12 years.”
Thursday’s verdict has also drawn commendations from President Bola Tinubu, governors, political leaders, and Nigerians at large. The development ends a decades-long battle for local government autonomy in the country.