The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has advocated for full autonomy for Local Government Councils in Nigeria, emphasising that this move will alleviate poverty and curb the escalating trend of rural-urban migration in the nation.
This was as it backed legal efforts by the federal government to free LGs from the control of state governments by enforcing the constitution’s provisions.
The RMAFC Chairman, Mohammed Shehu, in a statement issued on Wednesday in Abuja, noted that local government councils, as the third tier of government, should operate independently of state and federal governments to ensure effective grassroots governance.
On May 26, the Federal Government instituted a legal action against the governors of the 36 states of the federation at the Supreme Court over alleged misconduct in the administration of Local Government Areas.
The suit filed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, is seeking full autonomy for all local government areas in the country. In suit, the government specifically prayed the court to issue an order prohibiting state governors from embarking on unilateral, arbitrary and unlawful dissolution of democratically elected local government leaders.
