Tijjani Usman MuhammadFormer Vice President Atiku Abubakar has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately implement a Supreme Court judgment that grants financial autonomy to local government councils across Nigeria. Atiku made the call in a statement on Wednesday, stressing that the delay in enforcing the ruling is harming communities at the grassroots level.
The Supreme Court, in a unanimous decision delivered on July 11, 2024, held that local governments should receive their allocations directly from the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) and ruled that state governments have no constitutional authority to withhold or manage those funds.
Atiku emphasised that Supreme Court judgments are final and binding, not optional, warning that continued delays in enforcement amount to a breach of the Constitution and a violation of the presidential oath of office. He said withholding financial autonomy is crippling local development, contributing to unpaid salaries, abandoned health centres, and poor infrastructure in communities.
He called on President Tinubu to instruct the Attorney-General of the Federation to enforce the ruling without political manoeuvring, arguing that the process is straightforward and should not be subject to bargaining or delay.
The former vice president also warned that failing to implement the judgment sends a message that political control and party interests are being prioritised over constitutional duty, undermining governance and deepening hardship for Nigerians already facing economic challenges.
President Tinubu has previously urged state governors to comply with the judgment and threatened to use an Executive Order to ensure direct allocation of funds to local councils if necessary.
