The Association of Local Government of Nigeria has expressed concerns over the 23 per cent allocation given to local governments from the monthly federation account, describing it as insufficient to address the needs of grassroots citizens.
ALGON also highlighted issues surrounding the implementation of financial autonomy for local governments and called for constitutional amendments to remove the Joint Allocation Committee.
Honourable Hamisu Anani, Chairman of ALGON in Plateau State and the association’s National Publicity Secretary, made these remarks during an interview with Vanguard in Abuja. Anani, who also serves as Chairman of Wase Local Government Area in Plateau State, criticised state governors for arbitrarily removing elected local government chairmen, describing the practice as unconstitutional.
Responding to questions about financial autonomy for local governments, Anani revealed that no council had begun receiving direct allocations from the federation account, despite a Supreme Court judgement in favour of such autonomy. He explained that while committees have worked on the matter, the implementation is pending.
“There are committees working seriously on these issues. There are ‘Ts’ to be crossed and ‘i’s’ to be dotted to ensure that this thing is done. And I think the committees have finished their work. So, we’re just waiting for the implementation of this right away,” he said.
He expressed optimism that the direct allocation system might commence soon, saying, “We are expecting it possibly this month, as they said. The committees have done their work, and they finished everything and submitted it. So definitely, the implementation will soon start.”
Anani called for the removal of the JAC provision from the constitution, stating it undermines local government autonomy. He also criticised the current revenue-sharing formula, which allocates only 23 percent to the 774 Local Government Areas, compared to over 40 percent for the federal government.
“The sharing formula of revenue is still another thing. If really the government at the grassroots level needs development, we can’t be obtaining just 23 percent for 774 local government areas, as against 40-something percent for the federal government,” Anani said.
He added, “The development should come from the grassroots, and then the sharing formula should be increased. We are soliciting for it to be looked into in the interest of development at the grassroots.”
On the issue of state governors removing elected local government chairmen, Anani described it as an “ugly trend” that needs to be addressed constitutionally.
He stated, “The ruling of the Supreme Court mentioned specifically that local government chairmen cannot just go like that, as the governor just announced that you should go as it was before. It’s a constitutional matter.”
Anani emphasised the need for councillors to follow due process and only impeach chairmen who perform poorly.
Addressing local government elections, Anani revealed that six states have yet to conduct their polls. He noted that Plateau State had one of the most credible and transparent local government elections in the country.
“Actually, we have over 30 states that have conducted their elections successfully. In our NEC meeting in Katsina last month, we urged the states that are yet to conduct elections to do so,” he said.
Anani added, “As ALGON, we gave them specific advice on how to conduct elections as it is supposed to be, as declared by the Supreme Court judgment. We have less than six states that are yet to comply.”
Anani concluded by highlighting the importance of financial autonomy and increased revenue allocation for grassroots development.
“It’s a great and huge advantage to the people down there at the grassroots because, definitely, there’s going to be real development,” he said.
ALGON continues to advocate for the rights of local governments, pushing for constitutional reforms and equitable resource allocation to enhance governance and development at the grassroots.
