One Year After Supreme Court Ruling LG Workers Threaten Strike Over Autonomy Delay

Local government workers across Nigeria are threatening a nationwide strike over the failure to implement the Supreme Court’s ruling on financial autonomy for local councils, exactly one year after the judgement was delivered.

The ruling, which mandated that local government funds be paid directly into their accounts without passing through state governments, was seen as a breakthrough for grassroots development. However, despite the legal victory, the Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) says not a single state has complied.

The union’s national president, Aliyu Haruna Kankara, accused state governors of deliberately blocking the ruling. He said political resistance from the governors has stalled progress, leaving local councils financially handicapped and unable to deliver basic services.

The federal government, through the attorney-general and minister of justice, Lateef Fagbemi, had taken all 36 states to the Supreme Court over what it described as illegal handling of local government funds by governors. The court sided with the federal government in the suit marked SC/CV/343/2024, declaring that local councils should receive funds directly and also be shielded from unlawful dissolution.

Despite the clarity of the ruling, NULGE says state governors have continued to operate local government finances through the joint state-local government accounts, a system long criticised for choking local governance. The union believes this resistance is not about technical issues or legal uncertainty but purely political control.

Kankara warned that if the federal government fails to act, the union will not hesitate to take drastic steps, including a nationwide strike. He said discussions are ongoing within the union’s organs to determine the next move, while also pushing advocacy campaigns with civil society groups and labour allies.

He noted that the union has already reached out to the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), which has expressed full support for the fight to enforce the Supreme Court’s decision.

Kankara also made a direct appeal to President Bola Tinubu, urging him to act decisively in line with the rule of law. He reminded the president of his own past struggle for local government autonomy as governor of Lagos State, and called on him to demonstrate the same courage now.

He warned that continued delay in implementation risks undermining Tinubu’s democratic legacy and weakening trust in the judiciary.

As the deadlock drags on, local governments remain stuck in a financial crisis, unable to function independently, while workers grow increasingly frustrated. For NULGE, the time for patience is running out, and pressure is building on both state and federal leaders to act before the situation escalates further.