Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde has declared his commitment to ensuring that the recent Supreme Court judgment, which grants financial autonomy to local governments, does not negatively impact the people of Oyo State. Makinde emphasized that while he supports transparency in local governance, the judgment has created a constitutional gap that could pose challenges at the local government level.
During an Advisory/Consultative Committee Meeting with stakeholders in the local government system, Makinde addressed these concerns. He stressed the importance of convening the meeting to outline major challenges and develop solutions to ensure a smooth implementation of the judgment. The goal, he said, is to prevent any negative impact on the people of the state.
Makinde stated, “I called this meeting because even though we have not seen the Certified True Copy of the judgment of the Supreme Court, we have to be proactive. We need to discuss the decision as it concerns financial autonomy of the local government councils because a gap has been created between the decision and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that we all swore to uphold.”
He assured that his government has always aimed to do what is right, including conducting two council elections to ensure caretaker committees do not manage the councils, clearing backlog debts owed to workers and pensioners, and fixing infrastructure deficits in primary health care sectors and inner roads.
Makinde’s administration inherited a local government system burdened with salary arrears, gratuities, and pensions. He emphasized the efforts made to address these issues, including clearing salary arrears and paying N18 billion in pensions and gratuities. Additionally, the administration upgraded and equipped numerous primary health care facilities, completed model schools, and improved primary school infrastructure.
The meeting, held at the Executive Chamber of the Governor’s Office in Ibadan, included council chairmen, leadership of the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT), Nigerian Union of Pensioners (NUP), Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), and Trade Union Congress (TUC), as well as representatives from relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Makinde announced the formation of two committees. These committees are tasked with reviewing the Supreme Court judgment on local government autonomy and providing recommendations to ensure the changes do not adversely affect the people of Oyo State.
In his statement, Makinde noted, “The law is the law, and when there is a conflict, yes, we should go to the court. But it behoves us to look for our own homegrown 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.”
Briefing the media after the closed-door meeting, the state Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters, Ademola Ojo, explained that the committees have been given a time frame of four to six weeks to devise a homegrown approach to address the constitutional gap created by the Supreme Court judgment.
Ojo emphasized the need for a collaborative effort to develop practical solutions that will not disrupt the lives of the people in the state. He reiterated the governor’s commitment to the welfare of the people and the development of the state. The state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Biodun Aikomo, also spoke at the briefing, commending the governor’s proactive steps. He stated that the establishment of the committees would help mitigate any potential crises resulting from the Supreme Court judgment.
Aikomo added, “The governor has shown his commitment to the welfare of the people of Oyo State and the development of the state. By setting up these committees, we are taking a proactive step to address any issues that may arise from the judgment.” The meeting was attended by key government officials, including the Deputy Governor Bayo Lawal, Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly Adebo Ogundoyin, Chairman of the House Committee on Local Government and Chieftaincy Matters Olajide Akintunde, and other government functionaries.
Governor Makinde’s administration has been proactive in addressing various challenges faced by the local government system. Before his administration, leave bonuses had not been paid since 2017. Under his leadership, leave bonuses for 2018 to 2023 have been paid. This effort is part of a broader initiative to improve the financial management and infrastructure within the local government system.
Makinde highlighted the significant investments made in primary health care facilities and inner roads. Over 209 primary health care centers have been upgraded, and about 264 equipped. The administration has also completed 60 model schools, constructed, and renovated hundreds of primary school classrooms, and fixed several roads.
Despite these achievements, challenges remain. The local governments still owe about N55 billion in pensions and gratuities. Makinde emphasized the need to continue developing infrastructure to push the economy towards sustainable goals and improve the living standards of the people.
In his address, Makinde stated, “Oyo State will get out of this even stronger. We are people who know what is good for our people. Before we came in, leave bonuses were last paid in 2017, and we have paid for 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023. The Primary Health Care facilities and inner roads were all in bad shape. But we have been working collaboratively with the LGs to deliver dividends of democracy to our people.”
The governor’s commitment to addressing these challenges and ensuring the financial autonomy of local governments aligns with his broader vision for the state’s development. His administration’s proactive measures aim to create a more transparent, accountable, and effective local government system that can better serve the needs of the people.
