The Federal Government has continued to channel allocations through state governments after one year a the Supreme Court granted full autonomy to the 774 local government areas,.
An analysis by newsmen shows that state governors retained control of council allocations totalling N4.5tn, defying the landmark judgment that mandated direct funding to local governments.
On July 11, 2024, the apex court ruled that local governments must receive their allocations directly from the Federation Account, describing the long-standing practice of routing the funds through state governments as unconstitutional.
In response, the Federal Government constituted an inter-agency panel to oversee the implementation of the ruling and directed the Central Bank of Nigeria to open individual accounts for each of the 774 local government councils across the country to facilitate direct disbursements.
However, one year after the judgment, findings by newsmen show that the process remains largely unimplemented.
Local government allocations have continued to pass through state governments amid delays and disputes between the Central Bank, state governments, local government authorities, and other relevant agencies.