Femi Falana (SAN) has tasked 36 State Governors to push for a new revenue allocation formula that would allow enable them have higher allocation from the Federation account.
The human Rights lawyer made the submission on Friday Channels Television Sunrise Daily interview where he gave his legal perspective on the Supreme Court recent judgement, which granted financial Autonomy to Local Government Areas.
He stated that the Governors have no business quarreling over the judgement, but focus on negotiating improve revenue allocation formula, which currently allocates 52.68%, 26.72% and 20.60% to the Federal, State and Local Governments, respectively.
Falana, who hailed the Court’s verdict, which rescued Local Government Administrators from the shackles of Governors, challenging them to stop abdicating their responsibilities to the federal government, particularly issues of concern to the States.
He said, “The Nigerian people will have to take more than a passive interest in the affairs of Local Government Administration in our Country. The State Governors have no business quarreling with the judgement of the Supreme Court.
“What the State governments should do is to intensify the struggle for for a new revenue allocation formula that would allow them to have more money from the Federation account”, Falana said.
He stated that intervention by Nigeria’s apex Court, stopping the diversion of Local Government funds by most Governors requires a commitment by patriotic Nigerians to actualize the terms of the judgement to better the lives of the people.
He further said, “this is an opportunity for the State governments to take advantage of Section 7 (6) in the 1999 Constitution, which provides that there shall be an economic Board in every State that enables the Local Government to participate in the economic affairs of the State.
“State governments are members of the National Economic Council, NEC according to Falana, who lamented that lack of effective functioning of NEC, has made the Councils to become vulnerable to the policies of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.
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