The Presidency has officially declared that local government areas throughout Nigeria will commence receiving their allocations directly from the Federal Allocation Account Committee (FAAC) at the conclusion of January, representing a pivotal advancement towards local government independence.
The Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, Sunday Dare, conveyed this information during an interview on Arise News on Thursday evening.
Dare underscored President Tinubu’s dedication to executing the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling from July 2024, which deemed state oversight of local government funding unconstitutional.
CREEBHILLS notes that in a unanimous ruling issued by Justice Emmanuel Agbim, the Supreme Court of Nigeria determined that disbursements to local governments should be made either directly or via states.
Nevertheless, due to the inadequacy of the latter approach, the court mandated that payments be made directly to local councils.
During the interview, Dare affirmed that the arrangements have now been finalized, facilitating local governments to start receiving funds directly by the end of January.
“We have a President who ensures local government autonomy. I spoke to a local government chairman, who said, ‘Oh, I will be getting N2.9bn, instead of the N200m I was getting before.’
“From the end of this month, LG will receive the money directly. One state collected N499 billion last year—nearly four times its previous allocation—yet there’s little to show for it,” Dare explained.
