Efforts to implement the Supreme Court’s July 11, 2024, ruling on local government autonomy have hit a roadblock, as direct allocation disbursement to the 774 LGAs remains delayed.
The Accountant-General of the Federation, Oluwatoyin Madein, and the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, have begun consultations to enforce the ruling. A key challenge, however, lies in identifying LGAs with democratically elected officials, a requirement for direct payments.
According to minutes from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) Technical Sub-Committee meeting, only local governments in Delta State have fully submitted their account details to the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF). The meeting, held on January 17, 2025, at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja, confirmed that other states are yet to comply.
While some LGAs have submitted their details independently, others have relied on their state governments for the process. However, the overall response has been sluggish, further delaying the full implementation of the ruling.
