- Safiu Kehinde
The Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, has disclosed ongoing effort on full implementation of the Supreme Court ruling on Local Government autonomy.
Delivering the keynote address at the ongoing Agora Policy Conversation at the Yar’Adua event centre in Abuja on Tuesday, Edun maintained that the Federal Government already acknowledged the Supreme Court ruling on Federal allocation to democratically elected local governments.
He however said the compliance with direct payment of the allocation to the local governments is still a work in progress.
Edun cited the primary healthcare and primary education funding as part of the funding structures that needs to be revised before the allocations can be directly made to the local governments.
“We are here a year after a landmark Supreme Court ruling that affirmed the autonomy of the 774 local government areas. By this ruling, the judgement thus provide an opportunity for local governments to discharge their mandates as engine of growth and to bring development closer to the people.
“In democracy, rule of law is paramount. The Supreme Court has ruled, and it is the duty, the obligation, and the determination of the Federal Government of Nigeria to implement the ruling of the Supreme Court. That is what has been done so far over the last one year or so.
“Firstly, the Supreme Court stated that only local governments that are democratically elected should hav access to fund from the Federation account.
“Over the year, since the ruling, that is what the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has implemented. The latest was Lagos state which had just had its election earlier this month.
“That aspect of the Supreme Court has been implemented determinably.
“The second key item is to ensure direct payment to the local governments.
“And as we have herd, when you have policy, the challenge and the requirement to implement is one that needs determination, political will, capacity, and those items have been brought to bear in terms of implementing the payment.
“What we have to remember is that it is a work in progress. It is not sometimes as simple as flicking a switch. For example, in this case, we have a situation of primary healthcare structure, you have primary education funding.
“The current funding structure is one that you need to be very much tinkered with in order for the complete direct payment of funds to each individual local government. These are some of the situations.” He said.
The Minister further harped on the significance of the local government administration in the actualisation of President Bola Tinubu’s renewed Hope Agenda which, according to him, can only obtained through the grassroot development.
While noting that the President’s policies has so far stimulated economic resilience and macroeconomic stability, Edun disclosed that the next phase is to stabilise the economy, curtail inflation, and boost revenue generation.
He said that the current report of the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics which pegged the first quarters of Nigera’s economic growth in 2025 at about 3.4 percent is half of the target.
“The policy determination of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is to lift millions of Nigeria out of poverty. The key starts with the grassroots.
“The reforms have made groundwork by stimulating economic resilience, macroeconomic stability and therefore getting to the next phase.
“If the first phase was removing major macroeconomic distortions in the economy by implementing market pricing of petroleum products and market pricing of foreign exchange, the next stage is to stabilize the economy, curtail inflation, get the reserves up, get the deficit under control and boost revenue generally as a means of preparing the grounds for investment that would increase productivity in the economy and create jobs. And that’s the way to lift millions out of poverty.
“The next phase, we have just had from the figures released by the Nigerian Bureau of Statistics. In the first quarters the economy grew at about 3.4 percent and 3.5 let’s say.
“But that is really half of the target in order to really help people at all levels in the society, particularly the poorest and most vulnerable, we need to be growing at around seven percent per annum and that is the target of the administration anchored on increased productivity and job creation.
“And the Local Government system is fundamental to the Renewed Hope Agenda in delivering the gains of economic reforms to the people.” Edun said.
Also speaking at the event, Dr. Kole Shettima, the Country Director of the MacArthur Foundation, lauded the contribution of Agora Policy Centre to Nigeria since its establishment.
He however recounted how he was at first skeptical about the centre when it was introduced to him.
“We are very excited with this opportunity to support the Agora Policy Centre. I recall also about five years or so when Waziri came to the office. He was trying to convince me on why we should support Agora policy.
“It was a new brand organisation and I was scratching my head and I said Waziri, do you really think Agora policy will make a difference in this country? Is it that we are short of policy ideas in this country and that’s why the country is not working?
“I thought that our policy is made by consultants and by politicians. But more accurately by consultants. They are the ones who seems to be making policies for us. But he said that no, he thinks that this is something very important that we should have a policy thinktank in our country. That will provide a space for people to come, have a conversation and reflect on what is happening in the country.
“And I think that all of us who have been following the works of Agora policy can attest to the fact that Agora policy centre has certainly created a niche for itself, for the country, as well as the world because I’m aware that many people and organisations around the world reach out to Agora policy on very important issues. So, we are very excited to have this opportunity to support the Agora Policy. We think that as a country and as people, we should have a policy centre that speaks to issues across the country.
“We don’t have to go to Washington, London, or any other centres whereby our policy makers come and speak about their country. We hope that Agora Policy becomes our own centre whereby policy makers come and make important statements. This is our dream. This is our hope.” Shettima said.
On the topic of the discourse, the MacArthur Foundation’s Country Director acknowledged the significance of topic as he shared a personal experience on how detached some members of the community are from government at the local level.
“This is certainly a very important topic. I recall like five years ago when someone from my village called me and asked whether Buhari was still the President of Nigeria. I said okay what is problem. He said the borehole water in the village was no longer working. I said before you come to Abuja to meet Buhari, don’t you know there are kinds of steps you take to ask that kind of questions? Have you talked to your councilors? Have you talk to the Assembly members and governor of the state?
“I think that comment was a mere illustration of the mentality of our people. They believe that everything has to happen from Abuja. And the think that Abuja is the solution to all their problems.” He said