Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRazaq AbdulRahman, expressed the state governors’ approval of the Supreme Court’s judgment granting fiscal autonomy to local governments.
Speaking to State House correspondents before meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Friday, AbdulRahman described the ruling as a relief for the governors and a positive step towards the devolution of power.
“We welcome the ruling of the Supreme Court, compliance is a given and our Attorney Generals have applied for the enrollment order, which we’ll study carefully. But by and large, governors are happy with the devolution of power in respect to local government autonomy. It relieves the burden on governors,” AbdulRahman stated.
He noted that the public often misunderstands the extent to which states financially support local governments. The ruling, he explained, alleviates some of this financial burden.
“The forum will meet next Wednesday to look at the issue wholly and then come up with a resolution on that,” he added, indicating that the NGF is taking steps to understand the full implications of the judgment before moving forward.
Regarding the impact on Kwara State, AbdulRahman assured that the judgment would not negatively affect it, as the state government has not been interfering with council funds.
“It’s not going to affect the state; we’ve never tampered with local government funds. So it’s going to continue,” he said.
He emphasized the importance of local governments managing their own affairs, especially in light of the upcoming minimum wage adjustments.
The NGF Chairman, accompanied by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State, also discussed their visit to the Presidential Villa, where they addressed various issues including the minimum wage and the Supreme Court ruling.
AbdulRahman remarked, “We’ve seen the President on various issues from minimum wage, which he met with labour, the Supreme Court ruling and other national issues that concern states as well. It’s omnibus.”
This positive reception by the governors highlights a significant shift towards empowering local governments, ensuring greater financial independence and accountability at the grassroots level.