4 months ago
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A former Lagos lawmaker, Dipo Olorunrinu, says President Bola Tinubu has successfully improved the electoral fortunes of the All Progressives Congress, APC, with the judgment on local government autonomy.
Olorunrinu, who represented Amuwo-Odofin Constituency I at the Lagos State House of Assembly between 2015 and 2019, made this remark in an interview with NAN on Monday.
NAN recalls that the Supreme Court, in a historic judgment on Thursday, ordered the Federal Government to immediately start direct payment of local governments’ funds to the councils’ exclusive accounts.
This is contrary to the normal practice of paying the funds to the councils through the State Joint Local Government Account.
The judgment came in a suit brought by the Attorney-General of the Federation, following claims of the inability of local governments to have access to their funds.
“Local government autonomy is one of the ways that the APC has promoted itself.
“President Tinubu is a very intelligent person, who knows the impact of these things.
“My advice is that people should buy into his policies and reforms, and give him some time to perform and allow these things to work. The removal of fuel subsidies was a wise thing to do,” he said.
Olorunrinu said the local government autonomy would make the masses harness better expectations and the dividends of democracy from the Federal Government.
He said the only way the federal government could be effective was when the local governments were functioning properly.
“Even with the present system, it takes a very active council chairman to understand that whatever resources you are given from the federal or state government is never enough, you need to partner with the residents of your locality,” Olorunrinu said.
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