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The Initiative for Leadership Development and Change (ILDC), a Civil Society Organisation (CSO) has commended the Judiciary and Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) for supporting financial autonomy for local government councils in Nigeria.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Court of Appeal, Abuja division, in a judgment on Tuesday, affirmed the May 23, 2022 judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The judgment declared lawful the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) Guidelines, which came into effect on June 1, 2019.
The NFIU 2019 guidelines required among others, that the States/Local Governments Joint Accounts should be used only for receiving funds and subsequently transferring them to Local Governments’ accounts only.
Chief Ugochukwu Nnam, President of the Organisation gave the commendation in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Thursday.
Nnam who called on other CSOs to rally support for financial autonomy for local government councils, said it was the roadmap to enduring economic development.
“Local governments should be allowed to function independently in the management of their funds.
“States should stop tampering with local government funds the same way federal government don’t tamper with States’ funds,” he said.
The ILDC leader reiterated the need for all Nigerians to support the financial autonomy of local government councils.
He blamed poverty and underdevelopment in the rural areas on the control of local government funds by state governments.
According to him, ILDC has been at the forefront of councils’ financial autonomy advocacy and we call on others to join them.
Nnam said that financial autonomy to local government councils is key to unfettered access to prosperity and dividends of democracy especially at the grassroots.
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