President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed that funds allocated to local governments be released to them directly, declaring that true autonomy is impossible without financial independence.
The President made this known on Thursday during a meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where he addressed party governors and cautioned them against interfering with local government finances.
Tinubu said the recent Supreme Court judgment affirming local government autonomy must go beyond policy statements and be implemented in a practical and effective manner across the country.
According to him, compliance with the ruling requires that council funds be paid directly to local governments, rather than routed through state-controlled joint accounts.
“To me, the local government autonomy is and must be effective. Let us give them. There is no autonomy without a funded mandate,” Tinubu said.
“We give them their money directly. That’s the truth. That’s compliance with the Supreme Court.”
The President noted that local governments cannot function or deliver meaningful development at the grassroots if their resources remain under the control of state authorities.
He also urged APC governors to adopt flexible and inclusive leadership styles, stressing the need for their involvement in governance matters down to the local government level.
“You are in the leadership position that must yield and continue to promote, tolerate and be flexible and get involved in whatever is happening in your various states, up to the local government level,” Tinubu added.
The Supreme Court had earlier ruled that state governments have no right to control local government funds through joint accounts, a decision widely viewed as a major boost for grassroots governance and decentralisation in Nigeria.
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