Former Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has declared that genuine local government autonomy is unachievable under Nigeria’s current constitutional framework, describing expectations to the contrary as unrealistic.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Fashola made the remarks on Channels Television’s Sunrise on Saturday, against the backdrop of renewed agitation for local governments to operate independently.

Drawing from his experience as a former governor of Lagos State, Fashola argued that the present structure—particularly the control exercised by state governments—undermines any notion of true autonomy for the third tier of government.

“The real question we should be asking is whether we actually want autonomous local governments. As things stand today, it is simply unrealistic to expect autonomy for councils created by the Constitution,” he said.

He explained that the Constitution empowers state houses of assembly to legislate over local governments, which in itself constitutes external interference and contradicts the idea of independence.

“Autonomy means freedom from external control, yet a state assembly makes laws regulating how a local government functions. That alone defeats the concept,” Fashola stated.

The former minister further highlighted that land—an essential asset for local development—is vested in state governments, leaving local councils dependent on state-level decisions to pursue infrastructure projects.

“If we truly want local governments to be autonomous, we must first free up critical assets like land that are currently controlled by the states,” he noted.

Why Joint Accounts Exist

Fashola also traced the root of the current arrangement to historical challenges. Before 1999, councils received allocations directly from the Federation Account through the Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC). But after the return to democracy, many councils struggled to meet obligations such as paying teachers and primary healthcare workers, prompting the creation of the joint local government account to enforce some oversight.

“Whether those overseeing the funds have now become as culpable as those they were meant to supervise is another matter entirely,” he added.

Supreme Court Ruling and the Road Ahead

On the 2024 Supreme Court judgment that barred governors from dissolving elected councils and granted them financial autonomy, Fashola acknowledged that the decision has sparked mixed reactions among legal experts and may still face constitutional challenges.

Nevertheless, he welcomed recent moves to hold local council elections, describing them as a crucial step toward strengthening local governance and building a more accountable system in the future.