The Federal Government has established a 10-member inter-ministerial committee to enforce a Supreme Court ruling delivered on July 11, 2024, which grants financial independence to local governments across the country.
The formation of this committee was made public on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, during an inauguration ceremony held in Abuja. Senator George Akume, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), inaugurated the committee. Although Senator Akume was not physically present, the ceremony was presided over by Wale Edun, the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, who stood in on his behalf.
The 10-member committee is designed to ensure that the provisions of the Supreme Court ruling are fully implemented, particularly with regard to granting local governments the autonomy to control their own finances without interference from state governments. The committee’s work is expected to address concerns about how local governments in Nigeria have traditionally struggled with insufficient funds due to control and manipulation from state governments.
The Director of Information and Public Relations in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen, shared details about the committee in a statement released in Abuja. According to him, Senator Akume, who also serves as the chairperson of the committee, expressed optimism that this initiative would set a new tone for how local governments operate in Nigeria.
The committee comprises several high-ranking officials and key stakeholders in the nation’s governance. Its members include the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, and the Accountant General of the Federation.
Also on the committee are the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Chairman of the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, and representatives from both state governments and local governments.
The SGF emphasized that the committee’s primary goal is to “ensure that local governments are granted full autonomy, allowing them to function effectively without interference from state governments.” The idea is to enable local governments to better manage their own resources, which would, in turn, improve the efficiency of local governance and services provided to the people at the grassroots level.
