The Factional National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Barr. Sly Ezeokenwa, has commended the Anambra State Assembly for passing two landmark laws: the Anambra State Economic Planning and Development Law, 2024 and the Anambra State Local Government Administration Law, 2024. Ezeokenwa described these legislations as the most progressive and groundbreaking, setting a new benchmark for local government administration in Nigeria.
Speaking on AIT’s Democracy on Wednesday, the APGA factional Chairman highlighted key provisions of the local government administration law. He noted that the law aligns seamlessly with the Supreme Court’s July 11 ruling, which, on page 42 of the judgment, reaffirmed the authority of state assemblies to legislate on the existence, structure, finance, and functions of local governments, as provided under Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
He further clarified that the Supreme Court’s ruling on direct FAAC allocations to local government accounts does not diminish the power of state assemblies, under Section 162(8) and Section 7 of the Constitution, to enact laws governing the existence, composition, structure, finance, and functions of local governments.
Ezeokenwa elaborated that the new law establishes two essential committees to promote shared responsibilities across local governments. Under Sections 14 and 15, the Consolidated Local Government Joint Account Committee and the Security Trust Fund Committee were created, with all 21 local government chairmen serving as members. Additionally, the law introduces the office of the Accountant General for Local Governments to oversee the joint account, while the Commissioner for Local Government serves on the committees without being a signatory.
The APGA Chairman emphasized that this new framework guarantees local government autonomy by ensuring that all 21 chairmen are co-signatories to the consolidated joint account. Notably, no state government official, including Governor Chukwuma Soludo, is a signatory or directly involved in managing the account. Instead, the state government contributes its share to the pooled resources, which are used for local government salaries, pensions, gratuities, the UBEC counterpart fund, and other related projects, as recommended by the newly created State Economic Planning Board.
Ezeokenwa praised Governor Soludo for his visionary leadership and commitment to transparency, underscoring that the Governor’s role in the new law is limited to providing the state’s contribution to the joint account, without any control over its management.
The APGA Czar called on other states across the federation to enact similar laws to foster transparency and accountability in the management of local government funds. According to him, such reforms are essential to safeguard the local government system from collapse and ensure sustainable governance at the grassroots level.
