Ade Dosumu, a former Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, has applauded the decision of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi to sue state governments over the management of local gov funds.
The federal government through the AGF dragged the 36 state governments to the Supreme court recently, praying the court to free local government funds from the stranglehold of state governors.
In the suit, marked SC/CV/343/2024, the federal government is seeking the apex Court order to prohibit governors from unlawfully dissolving democratically elected local government councils.
Not a few Nigerians have condemned the mismanagement of funds belonging to local governments by governors through the State/ Local government Account created by state governments in the country.
The situation has led to underdevelopment at the grassroots level because funds required to provide amenities and critical infrastructure has been lacking as a result of governors’ manipulation.
According to Dosumu, serious minded administrators will be attracted to the local governments if fund are available to run them efficiently.
Freeing up funds from the state governments, he said, will also expand the provision of dividend of democracy at the grassroots level.
He explained that financial and political autonomy for LGAs will be a “game changer” at the local government level, adding that this will allow federal and state governments to focus on more “broader issues”.
He said development at the local levels have been very slow due to the governors’ manipulation, calling for immediate amendment of extant laws to stop the problem.
Dosumu said, “There is no doubt that our Democratic journey has been very slow due to lack of autonomy for the third tier of government as practised in other Democratic climes,” he said.
To correct the anomaly, he said, the National Assembly must amend necessary laws to enable financial and political autonomy at the local government level.
“This and other contradictory clauses need to be amended to reflect the complete financial and administrative autonomy as it’s been operated in other federal systems.
“I commend the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, for this bold step and urge him to go all out to break this jinx by removing the clog in the wheel of our development and progress.
“You can imagine the impact that will be created if 774 local governments are independent and free from the apron spring of the state governments.
“In summary, granting full autonomy to local governments in Nigeria will lead to better governance, increased citizen participation, improved service delivery, and accelerated development at the grassroots level,” he stated.
The Source magazine reported that The Supreme Court has fixed today May 30 for the hearing of the suit.
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