LG Autonomy, Problem For Caretaker Chairmen – Ozekhome.
Information gathered from a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome on Friday have it that the Federation Account Allocation Committee will not send money to Caretaker Committee Chairmen of local government areas by the virtue of the Supreme Court judgment on Local Government Council Autonomy on Thursday.
Mike Ozekhome said this in an interview granted on Channels Television on Friday.
Ozekhome said, “The judgement of the government is clear. If you want to receive funds from the federation account, then conduct an election.”
While justifying the next steps for local government areas with caretaker committees, Ozekhome affirmed, “If what you have in place is a caretaker committee as local government chairman, be sure that it will not have money from the federation account.”
He highlighted further that with Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling, local council development areas (LCDAs) created by Lagos and some other states are not qualified to receive funds from FAAC.
“What this law is saying is that if you are not a democratically elected local government council, you cannot have this money under section 162 subsection 5 and 6 of the 199 Constitution”.
“Areas (LCDAs) Council created by Lagos and some other states are not qualified to receive funds from FAAC”. He emphasized.
“So, what it means is that money should now be ploughed to those local governments that are in existence democratically.”
As analysed by Ozekhome, after the funds have been disbursed to the recognised LGAs, then the funds can be shared with the local council development areas.
“That is their internal business, nobody can control that one. But, for now, the money can only go to those local government areas named in the constitution. Don’t forget they are even named in the constitution, 774 local governments”.
“If you want money from the federation account, such councils must be democratically elected,” he said.
It should be recalled that the Supreme Court in a judgement on Thursday, ruled that the federal government should henceforth pay allocations directly to local government councils from the federation account.
Meanwhile, the seven-member panel of justices have declared that it is unconstitutional for state governors to hold onto funds meant for Local Government (LG) administrations.
However, the Supreme Court have barred governors from dissolving democratically elected Local Government councils in the country.
It ordered that the Federal Government should withhold allocations of LGAs governed by unelected officials appointed by the governor.
