Due to the Supreme Court’s ruling giving local governments nationwide financial autonomy, the 33 council chairmen of Oyo State have left the Association of Local Government of Nigeria (ALGON).
The chairmen unanimously endorsed Governor Seyi Makinde in a communiqué issued by the chairmen.
Ibrahim Akintayo, the state public relations officer for ALGON, characterised the chairmen’s stance as a show of support for Governor Makinde’s recent stance on local government autonomy, which was upheld by the highest court.
They credited Makinde’s exceptional leadership and unparalleled accomplishments since taking office for their allegiance.
The governor of Oyo State established committees to examine the ruling of the supreme court on local government autonomy during a meeting with a few stakeholders following the court decision.
“I called this meeting because I felt that even though we have not seen the Certified True Copy of the judgment of the Supreme Court, we have to be proactive and discuss the decision of the Supreme Court as it concerns financial autonomy of the local government councils because I believe a lacuna has been created between the decision and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that we all swore to uphold.
“The law is the law, and when there is a conflict, yes, we should go to the court. But it behoves on us to look for our own home-grown solutions that can ensure we have transparency and that our people do not suffer. This is because when two elephants are fighting, it is the grass that will suffer,” the governor had stated.
