Senator Sunday Steve Karimi has declared that the National Assembly is set to provide full legislative backing to President Bola Tinubu to halt the persistent looting of local government allocations by state governors.
Parliament to Enforce Supreme Court Ruling
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Services, who represents Kogi West, stated that the federal parliament will enact specific laws to compel strict adherence to the landmark Supreme Court judgment on fiscal autonomy for the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs).
Karimi made this known while addressing his constituents during the recent yuletide break. He referenced the Supreme Court's decisive ruling on July 25, 2024, which mandated the direct allocation of funds from the federation account to local councils and declared state governors' control over these resources as unconstitutional.
The judgement also nullified the use of caretaker committees, affirming that only democratically elected local government officials are legitimate. Karimi emphasized that the ruling's core objective was to strengthen grassroots democracy and governance by ensuring funds reach elected officials without interference.
Tinubu's Warning and Legislative Action
Despite the clear ruling from the nation's highest court, Senator Karimi observed that many states continue to brazenly disregard it. He noted that President Tinubu recently issued a stern warning at a National Executive Committee meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC), threatening to issue an Executive Order against defaulting governors.
"The National Assembly will prioritise the matter of the non-adherence of certain governors across the broad spectrum to the subsisting Supreme Court ruling," Karimi said. "We will back the President with relevant laws which will be retroactively effective."
He revealed that the proposed laws are designed to track and punish the "kleptomania and squandermania" of governors. "They will be prosecuted, compelled to make returns and punished for undermining the well-being of the generality of the people, by wilfully stealing what rightly belongs to them," the senator asserted.
Impact on Insecurity and Service Delivery
Karimi linked the misappropriation of LGA funds directly to the rising insecurity and poor infrastructure across Nigeria. He quoted the Chief of Defence Staff, who stated during a recent screening that dysfunctional local governments have created ungoverned spaces that fuel insecurity.
"Trillions of naira have been siphoned from Nigerians' resources by gluttonous governors," Karimi lamented. He explained that while the Tinubu administration has released unprecedented funds to states and LGAs, the impact is barely felt by citizens because the resources are intercepted.
The senator described a prevalent fraud scheme: "In some states, while funds are transferred to LGA accounts, the state operates voucher-racketeering schemes for fictitious jobs. Chairmen and councillors are forced to sign fraudulent vouchers worth billions monthly. No jobs are done, but funds are looted regularly."
He concluded by warning that governors, their aides, and media defenders involved in this systemic theft will face legal consequences once the National Assembly passes the enabling legislation.
