Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has extolled the judgement delivered by the Supreme Court which affirmed the financial autonomy of Local Government Areas in Nigeria.

Atiku, the presidential candidate of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, described the judgement as a win for Nigerians.

He said this in a statement on Thursday, July 11, 2024.

The former Vice President also described the apex court’s ruling as a step in the right direction and a major corrective action in greasing the wheels of national development across the country.

Atiku noted: “The decision by the Federal Government to consolidate disbursements of local councils’ revenues into the state government accounts was a decision that was borne out of politics of hasty compromise.

“I align with the decision of the Supreme Court that the structure of the Nigerian government is portioned in three layers, and of these, the local governments should be centres of development.

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“I also share the belief that fiscal autonomy to the local governments should not be limited to revenues from the Federation Accounts, but indeed, should apply to Internally Generated Revenue from the respective local government authorities.

“Many of our states, especially those in the ultra-urban areas with high-density economic activities, have become notorious in muscling local councils from generating revenue on items that border on motor parks, outdoor advertising, rents and many more.

“The verdict of the court is in tandem with the core functions of the Supreme Court as an arbitration court between and among governments.”

It would be recalled that the Supreme Court, on Thursday, declared that henceforth all Local Government Area allocations should be paid directly into their accounts.

“Henceforth, no more payment of the Local Government Area allocations to the state government accounts,’ Justice Emmanuel Agim, who led a seven-member panel of the justices of the Supreme Court, held.

The Star