End of a toxic throuple
774 Nigerian LGAs receive full-right to federal resources
Happy Friday, Big Brains. RIP to my Friday plans that died before Friday. I really tried to have a fun Friday but capitalism sat me down and said “Girllll”. But we move. You, on the other hand, should do something fun today. Okay? Okay.
- Margaret
Word count: ~800
Reading time ~3 mins
Let’s get into today’s edition:
Supreme court grants Nigerian local governments financial autonomy
FG invests in agriculture to enhance Nigeria's food security
Biden faces high-stakes press conference amid controversy
The Big Deal
Supreme court grants Nigerian local governments financial autonomy
Yesterday must have felt like Christmas morning to the 774 local government chairmen we have in Nigeria. Good things come to those who wait. After the decades-long wait, the Supreme Court has finally granted full financial autonomy to the third-tier of government. The court also ordered the Federal Government to start running every LGA’s cheque directly to their exclusive accounts with immediate effect.
This court ruling may not come as a surprise to some people because Nigerians have been calling for financial autonomy for LGAs for a while. Before the new order, LGA allocations were paid to state governments.
In May, the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, sued the 36 state governors over alleged misconduct of local government funds on behalf of the federal government. Justice Agim, who passed the judgement, believes that some of these governors have been intentionally holding on to LGA funds and as a result of this, they’ve rendered the third-tier of government almost useless.
Why is this a big deal?
As the third-tier of government, LGAs are supposed to be more relevant than they currently are. But many of these LGAs have been operated with limited resources. Currently, the Federal Government receives 52.68% of the country’s monthly revenue, states receive 26.72%, and local governments get 20.60%. And as Justice Agim established, the governors have been dipping their hands into this 20.60% too.
With this new order, LGAs are expected to have more access to federal funds which should in turn lead to more community development. Since LGAs will now be receiving their payments directly from the federal government, the risk of mismanagement and corruption will be reduced. If there are cases of funds mismanagement in the future, it’s easier to point fingers at the culprits.
FG invests in agriculture to enhance Nigeria's food security
The federal government has been cooking lately when it comes to boosting food security in Nigeria. From presidential vegetables to tax exemptions, the government has been on a roll. Now, it has decided to invest more in agriculture.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the purchase of 2,000 tractors, 4,000 disc ploughs, and 1,200 tractor trailers, among other equipment for the National Agricultural Mechanization Programme (NAMP).
Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, who shared the update, said the investment is expected to strengthen national food security.
He also added that, "Astride DMCC, which has done a similar job in Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa, and Togo, will supply all the equipment and set up a plant to assemble the machinery in the second stage of the contract."
And that’s not all…
The federal government also plans to engage stakeholders for a Guaranteed Minimum Price (GMP) for commodities, boost production, especially among smallholder farmers in the 2024/2025 farming season, and improve the supply of food commodities.
We appreciate the government’s sudden enthusiasm but it could have started sooner given the fact that 31 million Nigerians are expected to face severe food shortage by August.
Biden faces high-stakes press conference amid controversy
Fudge rising like a phoenix, we’re trying to rise like Joe Biden, the relentless president of America who’s hellbent on serving a second term. Several of President Biden’s close allies, including three people directly involved in his re-election efforts, told NBC News they now believe his chances of winning are zero, with the possibility of him damaging fellow Democratic candidates increasing.
“He needs to drop out,” one Biden campaign official said. “He will never recover from this.”
But guess who’s rising above the hate? Biden!
The 81-year-old has been struggling to stay in the presidential race since the presidential debate in June but some people already have their mind made up. Biden, who has made it clear that he’s not giving up, has now reached his make-or-break moment in a press conference that was hosted yesterday.
The conference, which has been dubbed the “big boy” conference, had the world hopeful to see a different side of Joe.
But Hollywood actor and supporter George Clooney of Biden didn’t share the same optimism as he claimed that Joe was “the same man we all witnessed at the debate.”
We respect the relentless nature of the president but things are still not looking great for him.
The Big Picks
FG Optimistic Of Resolving Minimum Wage Impasse Next Week: The Federal Government is hopeful that the deadlock over the new minimum wage will be resolved by next week.
Kenya’s Ruto Dismisses Almost Entire Cabinet After Deadly Protests: Kenyan President William Ruto announced yesterday the dismissal of nearly his entire cabinet and began consultations to form a "broad-based government" in an effort to manage the fallout from deadly protests against his administration.
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