FENRAD seeks legal backing for direct allocation to local governments

Nkem Ukaegbu, Umuahia

Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD) has intensified its advocacy for direct statutory allocation to local governments, urging the National Assembly to provide firm constitutional backing that would insulate councils from undue state interference and ensure true fiscal independence.

Speaking at the Southeast Summit on Reviving Local Governance – Citizens-Led Advocacy for Local Government Accountability and Reform, convened by the Citizens Centre for Integrated Development and Social Rights (CCIDESOR) in collaboration with the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, the Executive Director, FENRAD Nigeria, Comrade Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, noted that his organization is a committed member of the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, representing Abia State, and has remained consistent and vocal in its advocacy for full financial autonomy for Local Government Councils as a cornerstone of accountable and development-driven grassroots governance.

Nwafor emphasized the urgent need for a constitutional amendment to expunge the State–Local Government Joint Account clause and grant full financial autonomy to Local Government Areas (LGAs) across Nigeria.

According to him, the continued retention of the Joint Account system has significantly undermined grassroots development, weakened service delivery, and eroded accountability at the local level.

“If Nigeria is serious about inclusive development, job creation, rural infrastructure, primary healthcare, basic education, and community security, then financial autonomy for LGAs must move from rhetoric to constitutional reality,” he stressed.

FENRAD further noted that Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which establishes the State–Local Government Joint Account, has, over time, enabled undue interference in local government finances, thereby constraining the ability of elected councils to implement people-centered development programmes.

The organization further stressed that true local government autonomy must encompass, direct allocation of funds from the Federation Account to democratically elected LGAs; strengthened fiscal transparency and mandatory public disclosure of LGA budgets and expenditures; institutional safeguards to ensure accountability to citizens rather than state-level political control; and credible, independent, and constitutionally protected local government elections.

Comrade Nwafor reiterated that local governments represent the closest tier of government to the people and should serve as engines for grassroots economic revitalization, agricultural productivity, environmental protection, youth employment, and women’s inclusion.

He called on the National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly, and relevant constitutional reform stakeholders to prioritize amendments that will abolish the Joint State–Local Government Account framework; guarantee direct fiscal transfers to LGAs; protect the tenure of democratically elected local councils; and strengthen institutional mechanisms for citizen participation and oversight.

FENRAD commended CCIDESOR and the Nigerian Situation Room for convening a timely and strategic dialogue aimed at restoring local governance as a pillar of democracy and sustainable development in Southeast Nigeria.

The organization reaffirmed its commitment to sustained advocacy, civic engagement, and policy reform initiatives that promote accountable governance, environmental justice, and community-driven development across the Southeast Region and Nigeria