“Local Government Councils are the foundation of democracy”- Robert W. Flack
Without doubt the responsibilities of the local government councils have become much more complex and so has governance by the day become more complicated. For instance computer literacy has certainly become a must for the leadership and workers,just as thinking out of the box to attract funding has become the way to go. Clearly elected officials must possess special skills and have deep understanding of issues to solve critical problems facing their various communities.
And this why reforms to improve revenue generation, plugging of leakages,revision of archaic laws,accountability and transparency of the councils became necessary and urgent
Long before the historic Supreme Court ruling which has finally led to the impending financial freedom or autonomy of the 744 local government councils, Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto had taken serious steps to strengthen the local government system in his state to enable them provide critical linkages for sustained economic growth and social development at the grassroots, as originally envisaged in the 1976 local government reforms.
His pacesetting efforts in this regard have been vindicated by recent developments on the national stage. Following the New Year homage to President Bola Tinubu by the 36 state governors, led by Vice President Kashim Shetima, the coast it appears is now clear for the 774 constitutionally recognized local government councils in the country to receive statutory federal allocations directly into their respective bank accounts. This development means the death and burial of “joint account”.
The governors deserve commendation for finally succumbing to pressures from the federal government and other stakeholders to grant financial freedom to the local government councils. It’s a win – win for democracy. First was the conduct of elections into the councils and doing away with caretaker committees, which Sokoto State wasn’t forced to hold.
It’s heartening that the governors pledged to individually direct their elected local government chairmen to open bank accounts for direct disbursement of their respective shares of funds from the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC), but it would have been better if the initiative came from them as an article of faith like the Sokoto State governor who as far back as 2023 had embraced local government autonomy.
Hopefully,the full autonomy will enhance their effectiveness in providing critical economic and social services at the grassroots, as enunciated under the Fourth Schedule of the amended 1999 constitution.
The unfolding scenario has convinced many knowledgeable citizens of Sokoto state and keenly aware Nigerians of the democratic credentials of Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto and as a visionary leader, a pacesetter, someone who thinks and acts far ahead of his peers. It would be recalled that, while campaigning for office in 2023, Governor Aliyu Sokoto had listed Local Government Autonomy as one of the nine cardinal objectives of his administration. Many were surprised that he placed the item on his radar, when LG autonomy was not considered as a critical issue on the national stage.
In the words of Alhaji Sambo Bello Danchadi, the Honourable Commissioner for Information, Sokoto state, “Governor Ahmed Aliyu is ahead of time, a true visionary leader. For him, local government autonomy is an article of faith, which explains why it is one of his 9-point agenda. He had worked for the local government and fully understands why it needs to be free. His support for local government autonomy is based on first-hand experience.”
As one politician ever ready to walk his talk, a few months after his inauguration as the Executive Governor, Dr. Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto approached the honorable members of the State House of Assembly with a number of consequential bills. Included in his earliest executive bills was the proposal to amend and to consolidate the State Local Government Law (2009), and its various amendments of 2014, 2016 and 2018, into one piece of legislation. Despite opposition from short-sighted naysayers, the 2024 law was eventually passed by the Honourable house, and subsequently and assented to by the governor.
The law extended the tenure of elected chairmen and councilors from two to three years, during which they cannot be arbitrarily removed from office. According to Governor Sokoto “local governments in Sokoto State need more than the present two-year tenure to effectively conceive and implement meaningful projects.” On his own volition the governor decided never to interfere with the local government councils funds so that they can execute meaningful projects.
It is significant to note that, while Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto was zealously pushing to legally strengthen the local government system to perform effectively as the third tier of government, some of his colleagues approached the Supreme Court to void the decision of the Federal Government to remit FAAC funds directly to the local government accounts. They preferred the extant practice of transferring local government council funds to the “State Joint Local Government Account” as prescribed under Section 162 (6) of the constitution.
The debate whether the provision which appears to have expressly made it mandatory that “all allocations to the local government councils of the State from the Federal Account and from the Government of the State shall be paid into the said State Joint Local Government Account” is no longer important.
The litigating state governments had hoped for a quick victory, especially in view of the fact that Sub-section 5 of the same Section 162 also prescribed that “The amount standing to the credit of the local government councils in the Federal Account shall also be allocated to the States for the benefit of their local government councils and in such a manner as may be prescribed by the National Assembly. Contrary to their expectation, on July 11, 2024, a seven-man panel of Supreme Court Justices, led by Justice Garba Lawal,delivered a historic ruling which awarded full financial autonomy to the 774 local government councils, effectively stamping them as the third tier of government in the nation’s governance framework.
While the revolutionary Supreme Court judgment caught many governors off balance, even threw some into mourning over the loss of their source of slush funds, Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto gladly welcomed the development because it fully accorded with his aspiration to empower the local council administration to contribute effectively to the new tempo of economic and social development which he had unleashed on Sokoto state since coming to office in May, 2023.
The Sokoto state Commissioner for Information, Bello Danchadi explained that: “when the Supreme Court ruling came, we were very pleased about it, as we in Sokoto state saw it as a vindication of our governor’s position. And by then, arrangements had been concluded for the local government elections scheduled for September 21, 2024.”
It is hoped that the elected local council officials would brace up for the challenges of the new era. They can longer afford to be complacent and blame shortage of funds for any glaring inability to make positive impacts on the lives of their people. Rather, it is time to sit up and face their duties with the same commitment and haste displayed by Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto. All hands must be on deck to improve the living conditions of the good people of Sokoto state.
The local government officers should do well to study and understand the “Functions of a Local Government Council,” as clearly listed under the Fourth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. With the anticipated improvement in funding, local governments should take seriously the “construction and maintenance of roads, streets, street lights, drains, and other public highways, parks, gardens, open spaces, or such public facilities as may be prescribed from time to time by the House of Assembly of a State.”
They should also explore the various ways of improving revenue collection to augment the inflow from FAAC to further enhance their capacity to deliver impactful projects and sustain programmes that will help better the living conditions of their people. As listed in the constitution, they should actively participate in “the provision and maintenance of primary, adult and vocational education; and in the development of agriculture and natural resources, as well as the provision and maintenance of primary health service. Also included in their constitutional roles are the provision and maintenance of public conveniences, sewage and refuse disposal, among others.
In our usual way of recognizing and commending instances of good governance, we sincerely commend the pacesetting effort of Governor Ahmad Aliyu Sokoto in the area of strengthening the local government system to enable them perform effectively for the benefit of the good people of Sokoto State.
