President Bola Tinubu has warned state governors that he could resort to issuing an executive order to enforce direct allocation of funds to local governments if they fail to comply with the Supreme Court ruling granting financial autonomy to the third tier of government.
Tinubu issued the warning on Friday while speaking at the 15th National Executive Committee meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the State House Conference Centre in Abuja.
Addressing NEC members, including governors, members of the National Working Committee, and other party leaders, the president said, “The Supreme Court has capped it for you again, saying give them their money directly.
“If you wait for my Executive Order, because I have the knife, I have the yam, I will cut it.”
He added that he had exercised restraint with the governors, stressing that continued delays in implementation would attract consequences.
“I’m just being very respectful and understanding with my governors. Otherwise, if you don’t start to implement it, FAC after FAC, you will see,” he warned, while making a cutting gesture.
On July 11, 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Federal Government in its suit seeking to enforce financial independence for local governments.
The apex court ordered that allocations from the Federation Account be paid directly to local governments, as provided under Section 162(5–8) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), a provision largely ignored by many states operating joint accounts.
The seven-member panel of the court held that it was unconstitutional for state governments to retain or manage funds belonging to local councils.
“The ultimate goal is our Supreme Court. We have to comply. We have to respect the judgment,” Tinubu said.
Describing the APC as the largest political party in the country, the president praised its dominance but urged party leaders to strengthen structures at the grassroots, noting that local governments remain “the space where we have no governance” without proper organisation.
“I’ve addressed the state, the local government, and the ward level. Just be expandable. We can easily rely on the state governors. But what about the states where we have no governors?” he asked.
Reflecting on events ahead of the 2023 presidential election, Tinubu recalled the challenges he encountered, including the naira redesign and fuel scarcity.
“There was a wild bush fire. The currency redesign. The queue at the petrol station. Oh, that people died, not able to eat one meal a day because of a lack of money. Just for one election,” he said.
The president thanked God for the APC’s electoral victories in 28 states.
Tinubu also called on the National Assembly to invite the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, to begin discussions on the establishment of state police.
“The state police, like mentioned yesterday, I do today. National Assembly, please summon the IG and start looking at the constitution, and which way to go to control and prevent abuses. We are going for state police,” he said.
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to clearing Nigeria’s forests through the deployment of forest rangers.
“We will defeat those terrorists and bandits. We must,” the president said.
On gender inclusion, Tinubu expressed support for National Assembly bills aimed at accommodating women in the constitution.
However, he opposed federal intervention in lottery regulation, describing it as a “residual matter” reserved for the states.