Financial autonomy: Ex-LG chairman Olaosebikan hails Tinubu over supreme court ruling

Kehinde Olaosebikan, a former chairman of Oluyole LGA in Oyo state, says the ruling of the supreme court granting financial autonomy to the LGAs will solve the problems of insecurity and hunger in the country.

In a statement on Friday, Olaosebikan described the supreme court judgment as “one of the great things that President Bola Tinubu would do for the country”.

“Tinubu achieved what four former presidents could not achieve for over 20 years in less than 45 days,” he said.

“As a former local government chairman and a deep-rooted grassroots politician, I want to say that the liberation would go a long way in solving both the festering problems of insecurity and hunger in the country.

“All we require now is to have capable, creative, bold, and strategic people manning the local governments.”

On Monday, the supreme court held that the federal government should henceforth pay allocations directly to local government councils from the federation account.

A seven-member panel of justices ruled that state governments have continued to abuse their powers by retaining and using the funds meant for LGAs.

The apex court also ordered the federal government to withhold allocations of LGs governed by unelected officials appointed by the governor.

‘HOPE OF A WORKING NIGERIA REIGNITED’

Also, Ali Ahmad, a former member of the Kwara state house of assembly, said the judgment was “an adoption of the principle of necessity” in saving the country.

The ex-lawmaker appreciated Tinubu and Lateef Fagbemi, the attorney general of the federation (AGF) and minister of justice, for “reigniting hope of a working Nigeria”.

He also encouraged the citizens to actively participate in grassroots politics to bring “much-needed governance closer to the people”.

“Learning from these previous failures, taking this unconventional step of instituting this case could be the most popular decision of President Tinubu’s administration so far,” he said.

“The case gives clear expression to latent provisions of the constitution on the financial autonomy of LGs.”

Ahmad urged the president to initiate “a one-item emergency executive bill and send it to the National Assembly to enable the national electoral body, INEC, to conduct local government elections in the country”.

He added that the ruling of the apex court holds special significance for Kwara state and the ongoing legal battle between EnetSuD and the state government.

“The landmark judgment by the Supreme Court has special significance for Kwara, not because the AGF is from the state but because, more than any other state in the country, Kwara state will produce elected LG officials for the first time in five sordid years. No state has been so brazenly pilfered with impunity,” he added.