Governor Soludo Signs Law to Control LG Funds, Citing ‘Humongous Chaos’ Over LG Autonomy

The Anambra State Governor, Charles Soludo, has signed the Anambra State Local Government Administration Law, stating that granting absolute autonomy to LGA is a ‘recipe for humongous chaos’ in Nigeria.

Soludo made the statement on Tuesday at the Governor’s Lodge in Amawbia, Awka, after signing the local law that would mandate LGs to part with a percentage of their federal allocations to the state government.

The Law, granting Soludo the control of LGs monthly allocations from the federal government, titled “Anambra Local Government Administration Law 2024,” was passed into law last Thursday at the State House of Assembly.

He argued that Section 7 of Nigeria’s Constitution empowers state governments to enact laws to administer LGAs for state oversight functions.

The attendant challenges before the issue of local government autonomy are such that would certainly deepen the fate of the system and spell doom for the expected beneficiaries of the process if not well planned,” Soludo said on Tuesday.

Contrary to Soludo’s argument, a Supreme Court on July 11 gave a landmark ruling that granted full autonomy to Nigeria’s 774 LGAs to control their funds. However, Soludo and his Cross River State counterpart, Senator Bassey Otu, said they accepted the verdict in good faith.

Still, Soludo argued that the State House of Assembly’s new laws for LGs are consequential to give operational life to the Supreme Court ruling “and not undermine it”.

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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