… Describes the Supreme Court Judgement as a landmark achievement. 

Joel Ajayi

The Chairman Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), Muhammed Shehu Bello OFR, has praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his remarkable and thoughtful effort that culminated in the recent Supreme Court judgement which affirmed the autonomy of the Local Government Councils in Nigeria. 

The Chairman made the commendation while addressing members of the Board and management staff of the Commission during a sensitisation meeting held at the organisation’s auditorium.

The Chairman recalled the  prestige attached to the  position of Local Government Chairmen and the impactful  contributions they made to the development of the grassroots in the past when they exercised their autonomy. 

He gave a brief history on how the three tiers of government functioned in the past, which made the position of the Local Government Chairman and Councilors worthy of being sought after by credible people. . He stated  that RMAFC was solidly behind the decision of the Supreme Court in enforcing the law on local government autonomy

M.B. Shehu said, “I would say that this is very good for Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, and this is also good for the grassroots of Nigeria. I can assure you that in the 70’s, local governments were so powerful that you found a former Federal Commissioner coming back to the local government to contest for elections.”*.

 “We believe that this is positive for Nigeria. Imagine those times under the military regime when local government chairmen could even determine who got contracts, but what do we have today?  it’s the state governors that determine who gets what, the local government has no power; We must move away from that, and to this effect, we back Mr. President and the Attorney General for taking this bold step to really get this done at this moment,  in my opinion, this is a  landmark judgement .”

Shehu emphasized the need for patience and understanding of the government’s decision as it is beneficial for the nation’s overall good, adding that democratic governance is in the best interest of the country.

He said,  “I will say that it is a good thing that we are under a democratic system of government, no matter how flawed that system is. We have a situation where it is no longer up to one man to do as he pleases, as we have had in the past. I know many of us are not happy with the progress we have made, but there is hope for greater success if we all play our roles well and give the necessary support to the government .”

Barrister Mohammed Abdul, Esq., a seasoned legal expert and consultant to the Commission with extensive experience in constitutional law, provided an in-depth insights into the Supereme Court judgement, clarifying its significance and the legal responsibilities that it imposes on both federal and state governments.  Barrister Abdul highlighted the key aspects of the judgement,  particularly its affirmation of the constitutional autonomy of local governments, which reinforces their financial independence and operational authority. 

He emphasised the importance for the other tiers of government to adhere to the ruling to promote transparency, accountability, and effective service delivery at the grassroot level.

While noting that the judgement was controversial considering various viewpoints on the matter as well as what was in place before the ruling, he stated categorically that Section 7 of the constitution recognises the local government as a tier of government, and in order for funds to reach the grassroots, there was the dire need for the local government to partake in the sharing of the revenue from the Federation Account. 

In his words, *”The decision as we have seen is a bit controversial, however, we need to take into cognisance the perspective that was in place before the decision of the Supreme Court.

With the coming of democracy, it was also promulgated that governance in that tier of government should be democratic. Section 162, Subsections 5 and 6, states that there shall be joint state and local government accounts established so that states will receive and share based on the stipulated criteria. These accounts were established so that state governors will receive funding from the Federation account and hand over to states”.

 
He continued, “Overtime, the governors realised that the money in bulk is a lot of money, and rather than distribute the money to the local governments, decided to use the monies to do some projects that they felt would yield to the development and advancement of the state.”

He said that while doing this, the sharing formulae led to some infringements, one of which meant that funds may be used more for state projects, thereby grossly affecting funds accessible to local governments of those states.

 In the same vein, Barrister Abdul highlighted another infringement, which was that,  “they began to dissolve the local governments councils in accordance to their whims and caprices.

You will find in the history of Nigeria, there were several decisions of the Supreme Court that were rendered pertaining to the fact that this resolution is not constitutional, but you will find that the governors continued to do it as if the Supreme Court had not rendered its decision.”

 Barrister Abdul educated the audience  on the importance of the Supreme Court’s judgement on the effective running of states and the nation at large.

The meetong also featured an interactive session where honourable members and staff of the Commission engaged him in discussions on how the judgement will impact the allocation of funds to local governments and the necessary steps to ensure compliance with the new legal framework.

The Secretary to the Commission, Nwaze, Joseph Okechukwu, in his vote of thanks, reiterated the Commission’s commitment to upholding the rule of law and ensuring that the principles of local government autonomy are fully implemented in line with the Supreme Court’s directives. He appreciated the Chairman and Barrister Abdul for the enlightenment.

He encouraged Members of Board and staff of the Commission to apply the knowledge gained from the sensitisation in their day-to-day functions to foster better governance and equitable resource distribution across all tiers of government while stating that the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission remains dedicated to promoting fiscal efficiency and ensuring that the resources of the nation are allocated in a manner that supports sustainable development and good governance at all levels. 

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