Senator Sunday Karimi, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Services, has announced that the National Assembly is prepared to enact stringent new laws to enforce the Supreme Court’s landmark judgment on local government financial autonomy.
Speaking to constituents during a New Year engagement, Senator Karimi (Kogi West) warned that state governors who continue to flout the July 25, 2024, apex court ruling risk prosecution and retroactive legal penalties. The Senator’s remarks follow a stern warning from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who recently indicated he may issue an Executive Order to compel compliance from defaulting states.
“The National Assembly will not fold its arms while a clear judgment of the Supreme Court is treated with contempt,” Senator Karimi stated. “We will back the President with robust legislation including retroactive provisions to track the looting of local government funds, compel recovery, and ensure full accountability.”
The Senator criticized what he termed the “kleptomania and squandermania” of certain governors, alleging that trillions of naira intended for grassroots development have been systematically diverted through fraudulent voucher schemes and “caretaker committees,” which the Supreme Court has already declared illegal.
Key highlights from Senator Karimi’s address include:
Enforcement of Direct Allocation: The National Assembly will prioritize laws ensuring that federal allocations reach Nigeria’s 774 local government councils directly, without interference from state-controlled joint accounts.
Security Implications: Citing concerns from the Chief of Defence Staff, Karimi linked the dysfunction of local governments to the rise of “ungoverned spaces” currently exploited by bandits and terrorists.
Accountability for Diverted Funds: The proposed legislative framework will seek to prosecute officials involved in the “voucher racketeering” used to siphoning council funds for fictitious projects.
Support for the Presidency: Karimi lauded President Tinubu’s restraint but emphasized that the legislature is ready to provide the necessary legal teeth to the President’s mandate for fiscal transparency.
“Restoring financial autonomy to local governments is not just a legal requirement; it is a matter of national security and democratic survival,” Karimi added. “The era of treating local government funds as a ‘monthly dessert’ for state cabals is coming to an end.”
The National Assembly is expected to prioritize these legislative reforms as it resumes session, aiming to stabilize the third tier of government and ensure that the unprecedented funds released by the current administration directly benefit the Nigerian people at the grassroots level.
