Former Lagos State Governor and ex-Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, says it is unrealistic to expect full autonomy for local governments under Nigeria’s current Constitution.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise programme on Saturday, Fashola argued that the structure of the Constitution inherently limits local government independence, particularly through the legislative control of state Houses of Assembly.
“The local governments, as structured in the Constitution, were not designed to be fully autonomous,” Fashola stated. “When state assemblies are empowered to make laws governing their operations, that alone contradicts the concept of autonomy, which implies independent action without external influence.”
He added that for local governments to function effectively, they need control over land—an essential asset currently managed by state governments. Many LG responsibilities such as running abattoirs, cemeteries, schools, and health centers are land-dependent, making true autonomy impossible under the current arrangement.
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Fashola emphasized the need for a national conversation:
“If we truly want autonomous local governments, then we must be ready to change certain constitutional provisions and transfer more power and control away from the states.”
He also highlighted the origin of the State Joint Local Government Account (SJLGA), citing financial mismanagement by several LGs before 1999 as the reason for its creation. At the time, many councils defaulted on basic obligations like paying salaries and pensions, which led to accumulated debts that some state governments had to absorb.
According to Fashola, while the joint account system was intended to provide oversight, it has now raised questions about whether the supervisors—state governments—have become just as problematic
as the councils they were meant to monitor.
On the Supreme Court’s 2024 ruling that granted financial autonomy and barred governors from dissolving elected LG councils, Fashola acknowledged that it was a positive development. However, he noted that legal experts still debate whether the ruling can withstand constitutional scrutiny.
“Despite the flaws in the current system, conducting democratic local government elections is a step in the right direction toward accountability and eventual autonomy,” he said.
