Nigeria’s former Minister of Power, Works, and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, has called for a national debate on the feasibility of local government autonomy, insisting that the current constitutional framework makes true independence for councils “unrealistic.” His remarks, made during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise program, come amid escalating calls for decentralization and financial self-sufficiency for local administrations across the country.
Fashola, also a former governor of Lagos State, argued that constitutional provisions structurally bind local governments to state oversight. He emphasized that state legislatures draft legislation governing local councils’ economic activities, while critical resources like land—essential for infrastructure projects—are controlled by state governments. “They were not meant to be autonomous; that is my view after a very close reading of the Constitution,” he said, highlighting contradictions between legal frameworks and demands for self-rule.
The remarks arrive weeks after Nigeria’s Supreme Court ruled in July 2024 to grant financial autonomy to local governments and block state governors from dissolving elected councils. While Fashola acknowledged systemic challenges in local governance, including delayed salaries for teachers and healthcare workers, he noted that legal experts remain divided on whether the court’s decision aligns with constitutional mandates. Past financial mismanagement, he added, had justified the creation of joint state-local accounts in 1999 to ensure accountability—a system critics argue perpetuates dependence on states.
Despite skepticism about immediate reforms, Fashola described the push for regular council elections as a “good step” toward accountability. The debate, he stressed, must address whether Nigerians truly desire autonomous councils or prefer redesigned governance models. His comments underscore broader tensions in Nigeria’s federal structure, where subnational entities often grapple with overlapping authority and contested resource control. As legal and political stakeholders weigh the implications of the Supreme Court ruling, the path to effective local governance remains fraught with constitutional and institutional hurdles.
