Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has welcomed the Supreme Court’s judgment affirming fiscal autonomy for local government councils across Nigeria.
In a statement released on Thursday via X, Atiku described the ruling as “a win for the people of Nigeria” and a step in the right direction.
The Supreme Court’s decision overturns the previous practice of consolidating local council revenues into state government accounts.
Atiku criticised the earlier arrangement, stating that it was borne out of politics of hasty compromise.
Expressing his support for the ruling, Atiku said, “I align with the decision of the Supreme Court that the structure of the Nigerian government is portioned in three layers, and of these, the local governments should be centres of development.”
The former Vice President went further, advocating for an expansion of fiscal autonomy beyond Federation Account allocations.
“I also share the belief that fiscal autonomy to the local governments should not be limited to revenues from the Federation Accounts, but indeed, should apply to Internally Generated Revenue from the respective local government authorities,” he stated.
