Nasarawa State Ministry Resists Scrapping Amid Financial Autonomy Ruling

The Nasarawa State Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs has opposed its potential dissolution, following the Supreme Court’s decision granting financial autonomy to local governments. This stance was expressed during a public hearing on a bill aimed at repealing local government laws.

The state’s House of Assembly has been deliberating on the bill, sparked by the Supreme Court’s judgment. Lawmakers argued that the ministry, local government service commission, joint accounts, pension bureau, and development areas should be dissolved in line with the court’s verdict.

However, the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Idris Umar Idris, and other stakeholders, including the local government service commission and pension bureau, resisted the proposed dissolution. In contrast, the state traditional council welcomed the Supreme Court ruling but requested direct deduction of its 5% allocation.

Lawmakers suggested transforming the 18 Development Areas into Rural Council Development Areas under state government services, but Prof. Dalhatu Musa Yusha’u countered that this would contradict the Apex court’s verdict.

The House Committee on Local Government, chaired by Musa Ibrahim Abubakar, will incorporate stakeholders’ inputs into their report, to be presented on October 22, 2024. Speaker Danladi Jatau emphasized the House’s commitment to upholding the Supreme Court ruling.