About 352 Local Government Councils in 17 states and the Federal Capital Territory failed to remit or generate any revenue to the coffers of their respective state governments in 2023, data sourced from the National Bureau of Statistics showed.
This is coming amid the ongoing tussle to grant Local Governments financial autonomy.
An analysis of data from the Internally Generated Revenue of the councils recently published by the NBS revealed that the figure was an increase of 10 states from seven states that did not remit or generate revenue in 2022.
The statistics agency in the report said only 20, out of Nigeria’s 36 states, generated revenue from their Local Governments in 2023.
This situation underscores the financial challenges facing local governance and raises questions about the effective management of resources at the local level, particularly in the context of calls for greater autonomy and accountability.
Barring any last-minute resistance from state governors, direct payment of statutory allocations to Local Government Areas will kick in by November 2024.
