The Association of Local Governments of Nigeria has accused the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation of frustrating the implementation of local government autonomy, despite a Supreme Court ruling in favour of direct funding for all 774 local councils.
Speaking ahead of a Federal High Court hearing in Abuja on Tuesday, ALGON Secretary General, Muhammed Abubakar, said the AGF’s directive for the Central Bank of Nigeria to open uniform accounts for all local governments undermines the spirit of the court’s decision.
“The Supreme Court clearly affirmed that local governments are an independent tier of government. Yet, we’re seeing actions from the AGF’s office that contradict that autonomy,” Abubakar told our correspondent in Abuja.
ALGON had taken legal action against the AGF and several other federal institutions in suit FHC/ABJ/05/353/2025, seeking full inclusion of local governments in the Federation Account Allocation Committee and the right to independently manage their funds.
The suit also names the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun; Minister of Budget and National Planning, Abubakar Bagudu; Accountant-General of the Federation; the CBN; NNPCL; and commercial banks as defendants.
