THE COMMITTEE of Youth on Mobilisation and Sensitisation (CYMS), has hailed the Supreme Court judgment on local government financial autonomy against the 36 states governors in favour of the federal government.
This is contained in a statement issued by the Director General, CYMS, Chief Obinna Nwaka on Thursday in Abuja.
Nwaka said that CYMS as an organisation engaged under the Presidency, Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF) had been advocating for the autonomy.
He said that the advocacy followed the report from CYMS State Coordinators over the underdevelopment, insecurity, unemployment and unnecessary urban rural migration affecting the people at the grassroots level and community.
The CYMS DG said that the organisation had paid courtesy visit to relevant stakeholders such as EFCC Chairman, National Assembly members and several call to actions for Nigerians to support the LG autonomy during various conferences.
“I want to commend the Supreme Court judgement and also appreciates our President, Bola Tinubu for his determination to make this a dream come through.
“President Tinubu made this possible having realise that the only way to ensure adequate development and dividends of democracy gets to the rural areas and grassroots is the implementation of the LGA financial autonomy. We appreciate this as it means a lot to us,” he said.
Nwaka urged the immediate compliance to the judgment by state governors while charging Nigerian Youth in politics to take advantage of the judgement.
He also urged them to prepare to take up leadership positions in their various local government in order to enable them contribute their quota towards grassroots development.
He tasked political parties in the states to consider candidates below the age of 50 for both local government chairmanship and councillorship positions.
This, he said would be for effective representation, hitch free collaboration with the people and prompt intervention on emergency assignment.
He called on meaningful Nigerians not to focus their criticism, monitoring and blames on the government of the centre for poor governance.
He appealed to them to rather focus and monitor the local government administration in their respective states for resource management and dividends of democracy since the autonomy has been fully granted.
“The LG autonomy is now the hope for the people at the grassroot and the 25th democracy anniversary gift from the administration of renewed hope led President Tinubu,” he said.
NAN reports that the apex court on Thursday granted financial autonomy to the 774 local government councils in the country.
In the landmark judgment ordered the Federal Government to immediately start the direct payment of local government funds to the latter’s exclusive accounts.
In its lead judgment read by Justice Emmanuel Agim, the apex court scolded the decades-long refusal of the state government on financial autonomy for local governments.
Justice Agim noted that the 774 local government councils in the country should manage their funds themselves.
He said only democratically elected local government administrations are entitled to these funds and not caretaker committees. (NAN)
