THE Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, has said that Thursday’s Supreme Court judgment on autonomy of the 774 local government areas across the country will take immediate effect and has “emancipated” the third tier of government from the “shackles of the past”.
It will be recalled that yesterday the Supreme Court delivered what has been described as a landmark judgment wherein it directed that the federal government should henceforth pay local government allocations directly to their bank accounts rather than through joint account with the state governments as presently obtains.
The court also ordered the federal government to stop sending the funds to non democratically elected council chairmen. Eighteen-Eleven Media reports that not fewer than 20 states across the country have in place one form of caretaker committee or the other running affairs at the local government level.
Meanwhile, speaking with journalists after a meeting with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Mr Fagbemi said the judgment of the apex court will take “immediate effect”.
The AGF said the “the ball is now in the court” of state governors to conduct elections into local government areas adding that the judgment stipulates punishment for refusal.
“Naturally, one will be happy, should be happy. Nigerians are happy about it,” he said.
“I call it local government emancipation judgment because it has really emancipated the local government from the shackles of the past.
“I hope that local government officials will look at it as an opportunity to develop their various local governments.
“The judgment is clear as to what they should do, the judgment is clear as to what consequences will attach to failure or refusal to follow the judgment of the Supreme Court… which takes immediate effect.”
Eighteen-Eleven Media