A pro-democracy group, League of Igbo Youth Lawyers, otherwise known as LIYOLAW says without full implementation of the recent Supreme Court judgement granting financial autonomy to local government areas, the ruling will amount to effort in futility.
The group made the observation in a communique issued in Awka, Anambra State Capital, which was signed by its national secretary, Barr Obinna Asiegbu.
The group observed that the local government system had been emasculated by years of suffocation and deprivation by states, which has made development difficult at that level due to the abridgment of democracy at the grassroots.
It commended the federal government led by President Bola Tinubu for going the extra long mile in exploring judicial interpretation of the necessary provisions of the 1999 constitution, which paved the way for the recent decision and orders of the Supreme Court in the matter.
The communique read; “The recent decision of the apex court which was hinged on judicial activism and radical interpretation has rescued democracy at the grassroots level and has restored constitutional democracy to the local governments.
“We call on the federal government to ensure strict compliance with the orders contained in the supreme court decision, and to pay directly to local governments sums standing to credit of local governments from monthly disbursement of funds from the federation account.”
Also contributing, the President of the association, Stanley I. Okafor noted that state governors in Nigeria had constituted themselves clogs in the wheel of advancement of democracy by emasculating local government autonomy and stealing local government funds, including those meant for the judiciary.
He called for further mechanisms to ensure that funds meant for the judiciary of states were extricated from the claws of state governors and promised that the group would soon blacklist states holding on to judiciary funds.
In the same vein, the group noted that the election to the office of President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), slated today, July 20, held mixed promises for the nation as the NBA continues to occupy a pivotal position as the mouthpiece of the common man in Nigeria.
It bemoaned the relegation of the hitherto exalted values of the NBA to a mere jamboree-seeking association producing mainly rubber stamps to politicians as its leaders and underscored that only one of the current contenders to the office of President of NBA in the person of Chuka Ikwuazom SAN met the ideals and expectations of the group, noting his commitment to confronting the establishment, which he made during the debate amongst presidential contenders on July 11, 2024.
“Whereas we are convinced and satisfied that Chuka Ikwuazom SAN demonstrated clear will to ask questions and probe national issues and take the political class to task about respect for the rule of law and democratic ideals therefore we adopt him as choice candidate for the NBA presidential election slated for July 20, 2024,” the group noted.
