Former National President of the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees, NULGE, Comrade Akeem Ambali, has said local governments remain ineffective despite the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to the third tier of government.
Ambali spoke on Tuesday during an interview on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, monitored by DAILY POST in Abeokuta.
He said the failure to implement the judgment has undermined service delivery and widened the gap between government and the people, especially in rural communities.
According to him, local government is the neighbourhood government and the closest to ordinary Nigerians, but it has been crippled by political interference.
“Local government has been crippled. Local government is missing in action. No matter the effort of any state or federal government, without a functional local government, whatever they do may not have expected impact,” he said.
Ambali commended President Bola Tinubu for pursuing autonomy, recalling that he created Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, in Lagos to take governance closer to the grassroots.
He noted that Tinubu took a legal route to secure the Supreme Court judgment but questioned why it has not translated into visible improvements.
“The Supreme Court is not a final court. Its judgments are finality in itself. You can only appeal to God Almighty. Anybody doing something against it is liable,” he said.
The former NULGE president urged Nigerians to make implementation of the judgment a campaign issue ahead of the 2027 elections, asking candidates to state clear plans for local government autonomy.
He said councils should be equipped to maintain rural roads, support farmers, provide basic infrastructure and drive community policing, lamenting that farmers cannot move produce due to impassable roads.
“Local government in the past had graders, had equipment that easily a community can afford. The roads are not passable. Farmers cannot bring back farm produce,” he said.
Ambali argued that the effectiveness of local councils should be measured by impact on living conditions, not activities at the secretariat, noting that agricultural and community development officers work in the field.