By Tochukwu Bliss, Abuja
The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), has advocated for full autonomy for local government councils (LGCs) in Nigeria.
A statement issued the RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, on Wednesday in Abuja, said the move will help alleviate poverty and curb the escalating trend of rural-urban migration in the country.
RMAFC also supports the federal government’s legal battle to free local councils from the control of state governments by enforcing the Constitution’s provisions.
As the third tier of government, Mr. Shehu argued that local councils should operate independently of the state and federal governments to ensure effective grassroots governance.
On May 26, the Federal Government instituted a legal action against the governors of the 36 states of the federation at the Supreme Court over alleged misconduct in the administration of Local Government Areas.
The suit filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, is seeking full autonomy for all local government areas in Nigeria.
In suit, the government specifically prayed the court to issue an order, prohibiting state governors from embarking on unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders.
In another suit, marked SC/CV/343/2024, the government asked the apex court to enforce the autonomy of the local government by, among other things, stopping state governors from appointing caretaker committees to administer local governments in their states.
Expressing his support, Mr. Shehu noted that the Nigerian Constitution recognises federal, state, and local governments as distinct tiers, each drawing funds from the Federation Account, and criticised the dominance of state governments over LGCs, thereby undermining their political, administrative, and financial independence.
This control, he said, hinders LGCs’ ability to provide quality infrastructure and social services, as intended by the Constitution, and makes it difficult for citizens to elect their local leaders, affecting governance closest to the people.
The statement reads further: “Granting full autonomy to LGCs will reduce poverty, curb rural-urban migration, and deliver more democratic benefits to the populace. It will also attract qualified candidates for council elections, improving governance across all levels.
“Full autonomy will promote good governance, transparency, and accountability at the local level.
“Security challenges like banditry, kidnappings, terrorism, and electoral violence would be minimised if local government funds are directed towards rural development.”
State of the nation
Mr. Shehu also noted that the current spate of insecurity in all parts of the country could be arrested if LGCs were granted full autonomy.
This, he said, will allow them to recruit, manage staff, raise finances, make bylaws and discharge their functions without State government interference, thereby ensuring their full bureaucratic autonomy.
He continued: “Financial autonomy of local government entails the freedom to impose local taxation, generate revenue within its assigned sources, allocate its financial and material resources, determine and authorize its annual budgets without external interference.
“It also relates to the disposition of tax powers, retention of revenue and methods adopted in sharing centrally collected revenue by the constitutional responsibilities of all levels of government.
“It is worth noting that the Constitution has made it explicitly clear that there must be a democratically elected local government system in place…”
Reiterating that LGCs should be granted fiscal autonomy by paying statutory allocations from the Federation Account directly to their coffers, the RMAFC boss also urged the Federal Government to seek for an order permitting the funds standing in the credits of local governments to be directly channelled to them from the Federation Account.
Calling on civil society organisations and the media to support the move, Mr. Shehu said the Commission would continue to be a strategic partner in the efforts to reposition local government councils to discharge their constitutional responsibilities in Nigeria.
