As the debate over local government autonomy intensifies across Nigeria, former Lagos State governor and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Babatunde Fashola, has said it is “unrealistic” to expect local councils to function independently under the country’s current constitutional framework.
Speaking during a live interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Fashola argued that the Constitution was not designed to grant local governments full autonomy, given the statutory powers held by state governments and assemblies over them.
“They were not meant to be autonomous. That is my view after a very close reading of certain provisions of the Constitution,” Fashola said. “If you look at the legal and ordinary meaning of the word ‘autonomy’, it suggests independence from external control—but the Constitution allows state assemblies to make laws for local governments.”
According to Fashola, local governments rely heavily on land, which is controlled by state governments, to deliver critical services such as primary healthcare, education, waste management, and local infrastructure.
He further noted that key responsibilities assigned to councils in the Fourth Schedule—such as running abattoirs, cemeteries, and primary schools—are constrained by land access, thereby limiting their independence.
“If we truly want autonomous local governments, we must be ready to restructure these areas—especially the control of land,” he said. “But as it stands, what was intended was collaboration and oversight, not autonomy.”
Fashola also revisited the historical context that led to the creation of the state-local government joint account, citing the financial mismanagement of several local governments before the return to democracy in 1999.
“Many councils failed to pay salaries of teachers and healthcare workers, which led to massive debts. That’s part of why the joint account system was introduced—to enforce financial oversight,” he explained.
Reacting to the Supreme Court’s landmark July 2024 judgment, which barred governors from dissolving elected local governments and granted financial autonomy to councils, Fashola said the ruling raised legal questions that may require further constitutional clarification.
While acknowledging that many local governments are underperforming, he maintained that the path to reform must begin with clear legal reforms and consensus-building, not assumptions about autonomy.
