The Federal Government has failed to implement a crucial Supreme Court ruling regarding local government allocations.
Months have passed since the court ordered that funds should be paid directly to local government accounts.
Instead, the government continues to deposit these funds into joint accounts shared with states.
This decision has raised serious concerns among citizens and local government officials.
In September 2024, the Federation Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) announced a total allocation of N1.298 trillion.
This money was supposed to support federal, state, and local governments.
However, the local government councils did not receive these funds directly, as the Supreme Court had mandated.
The court’s ruling came in July 2024.
It aimed to grant local governments more autonomy and ensure transparency in fund management.
The Supreme Court ordered that the monthly allocations for the 774 local government councils be paid directly into their individual accounts.
Yet, shortly after the ruling, the Federal Government claimed it faced “operational issues.”
These issues were said to delay the implementation of direct payments.
A three-month window was provided to address these concerns.
However, this window closed last week with no action taken.
Local government councils are still waiting for the funds to arrive in their accounts.
This situation raises questions about the government’s commitment to upholding the rule of law.
Bawa Mokwa, the Director of Press and Public Relations at the Office of the Accountant-General, reported on the September allocations.
He stated that the total sum shared for September represented a 7.9 percent increase from the previous month.
Despite this increase, local governments did not see a change in how they received their funds.
The September allocation breakdown showed that the Federal Government received N424.867 billion.
State governments received N453.724 billion, while local governments were allocated N329.864 billion.
This continued practice of paying into joint accounts contradicts what many believed would happen after the court’s decision.
Reports from various state governments confirmed that allocations were again deposited into joint accounts.
Many local governments depend on these funds for essential services and development projects.
Without direct access to their allocations, they struggle to meet their communities’ needs.
