LG Autonomy: Supreme Court’s judgement should bring change – Osinbajo’s ex-aide

Former spokesman of ex-Vice President Laolu Akande, on Thursday expressed hope that the Supreme Court’s verdict on local government autonomy would bring about the needed change.

Akande applauded the Supreme Court for acting on the side of common sense.

Recall that the apex court had barred the Federal Government from paying local governments allocation to state governments.

Justice Emmanuel Agim ruled that it was unconstitutional for state governments to hold on to the allocations of local governments.

He gave the ruling in the ongoing local government autonomy suit filed by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi SAN on behalf of the Nigerian Government.

Justice Agim ruled that state governors have abused the practice of the federal government routing local government allocations through them.

He accused state governors of retaining allocations and utilising them as they please to the detriment of the local government for which the monies are meant.

But, featuring on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Akande said: “It’s exciting that the Supreme Court has acted on the side of common sense and reason. We hope that it will be compelling enough for us to start seeing some changes.

“Certainly, there are governors who are not affected but we have suffered as people by the fact that the local government administration in our country has disappeared. We hope that this is going to be a turning point.”