Tough times await democratically elected local government chairmen, as one of their largest stakeholders, primary school teachers are insisting on first-line charge for their salary payment.
The teachers are accusing the Attorney-General of the Federation and the Supreme Court of calculated attempts to collapse the Basic Education subsector at the local government level and taking them to the dark days of non-payment of salaries and pensions.
The State and Local Government Joint Account which the Supreme Court scrapped in its judgement was established in 1994. The account was created to facilitate the sharing of revenue between state and local governments, as mandated by the Nigerian Constitution. The account was managed by the Commissioners of State Governments, and it allows for the allocation of funds to local governments based on a predetermined formula.
But, in June 2024, the Supreme Court of Nigeria scrapped the State and Local Government Joint Account ordering full financial autonomy for 774 local governments areas, with direct payment of funds to local councils from Federation Account without involvement of states. The court declared that there shall be no more state control of funds with only democratically elected officials at the local government councils.
The Supreme Court also held that the practice of State Governors receiving and seizing funds allocated to local governments is a clear violation of Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
Primary school teachers who are an integral part of the local government demand a review of the provisions of the judgement. The position of the teachers is however countered by the local government employees union.
As the government continues to implement the Supreme Court judgement, the alarm raised by the primary school teachers over their salaries and pensions, remain an issue of top concern.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
