– Issued in Abuja @9:30am on Friday, 12th July 2024
The Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room (Situation Room) applauds the decision of the Supreme Court directing the Federal Government to pay allocations directly to Local Government Councils from the Federation Account and withhold allocations of Local Governments governed by unelected officials appointed by State Governors.
The Situation Room considers this judicial pronouncement, a vital intervention in Nigeria’s democratic development and calls on the State Governments to comply with the decision forthwith and strengthen the institution of governance at the grassroots by ensuring that Local Governments can deliver essential services without any hindrance.
Since 1999, citizens have watched Governors make Local Government Councils appendages of their office by controlling their funds and appointing what is called “Caretaker Committees”; an administrative structure unknown to the law or Constitution.
Some State Governors have also been known to neglect allocation of funds to the State Independent Electoral Commission to conduct Local Government council elections.
Situation Room expects that reform to the process for conducting elections into Local Government Councils will follow to give full effect to the intendment of this judgment and protect the Local Government system in Nigeria from the undemocratic and overbearing tendencies of some Governors.
We call on citizens, civil society groups and community leaders to monitor the implementation of this judgment and put mechanisms in place to ensure accountability at the Local Government level.
——————————-
SIGNED:
Y.Z Ya’u
Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room
Mimidoo Achakpa
Co-Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room
Franklin Oloniju
Co-Convener, Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room
————————-
The Situation Room is made up of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) working in support of credible and transparent elections in Nigeria numbering more than seventy. The Steering Committee is made up of: Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), CLEEN Foundation, Action Aid Nigeria, Centre for Information Technology and Development (CITAD), Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Emma Ezeazu Centre for Good Governance and Accountability (formerly Alliance for Credible Elections, Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre (RULAAC), Kimpact Development Initiative, Democratic Action Group (DAG), Women’s Rights to Education Programme, Joint National Association of Persons with Disability (JONAPWD), DIG Ebonyi, New Initiative for Social Development (NISD), Life And Peace Development Organization (LAPDO), Rural Youth Initiative, Challenged Parenthood Initiative (CPI), Centre for Health and Development in Africa (CHEDA) and Josemaria Escriva Foundation. Other groups are: Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), Centre LSD, CISLAC, WARD-C, Proactive Gender Initiative (PGI), Enough is Enough Nigeria, WANGONET, JDPC, Yiaga Africa, Development Dynamics, Partners West Africa Nigeria (PWAN), Stakeholder Democracy Network, Human Rights Monitor, Community Life Project (CLP)/Reclaim Naija, Conscience for Human Rights and Conflict Resolution (CHRCR,) Nigerian Women Trust Fund, The Albino Foundation, Electoral Hub, etc.
————————-
Call/WhatsApp: 09032999919, 08021812999, 09095050505.
E-mail: situationroom@placng.org
Social Media
● Twitter/Instagram: @SituationRoomNg
● Facebook: Situation Room Nigeria
● Website: www.situationroom.org