EXCLUSIVE: Kaduna State Withholds Federal Allocations From 23 Local Govts For Several Months, Violates Supreme Court Directives

Kaduna State’s 23 local government councils have gone more than three months without receiving their constitutionally guaranteed federal allocations.

Sources told Saharareporters that apart from salary payments, councils have been receiving N10 million monthly from the state government since Governor Uba Sani assumed office in 2023.

Meanwhile, in July 2024, the Supreme Court of Nigeria ruled that local governments across the country must have full financial and administrative autonomy.

The court specified that state governments cannot withhold or control federal allocations meant for councils, ensuring that local governments have direct access to funds to carry out their statutory responsibilities.

Despite the ruling, Kaduna’s councils have continued to operate under limited budgets. Officials said the lack of funds affects day-to-day administration, including payment of casual staff, security operations, and basic overhead costs.

In an interview with SaharaReporters, an official in one of the councils, who requested anonymity for safety reasons, described the effect on council operations.

“Local governments are bleeding. We cannot pay overheads. We cannot support security operations. We cannot pay casual staff. We cannot run basic administration. We are not even talking about projects now,” the source said.

The official added that councils in areas with security challenges have limited capacity to respond, saying they have to “watch their communities burn and count the dead without any means to respond.”

He also said media coverage of the funding situation and other security gaps has been limited, stating, “Governor Sani has bought every media outlet to turn a blind eye on the massive looting in the state, along with issues related to local government funds and insecurity.”

The funding shortage has also revived earlier allegations that the Ministry for Local Governments diverted council funds into private fixed-deposit accounts.

The sources added that councils including Kagarko, Giwa, Kachia, Birnin Gwari, Kauru, Kajuru, and Chikun rely on allocations for logistics, fuel, intelligence gathering, vigilante support, and rapid response allowances, which are affected by the funding situation.

The local government official said they are awaiting the resumption of allocations to enable councils to carry out their statutory responsibilities in line with the Supreme Court ruling.

However, former governor of the state Nasir El-Rufai has accused Governor Uba of mismanaging state resources and diverting funds meant for public projects.

He said that several state contracts were awarded without due process and that financial oversight mechanisms have been weakened under the current administration.

El-Rufai further claimed that certain federal allocations and internally generated revenues have been misappropriated.

He also warned that these alleged financial irregularities could undermine ongoing development projects and affect public trust in the management of Kaduna State’s resources.

It must be noted that a Kaduna State House of Assembly’s ad hoc committee report accuses El-Rufai and key members of his administration of financial mismanagement, abuse of office, and corruption in loan handling and contract awards during his 2015–2023 tenure.

The committee found irregularities in the management of both domestic and foreign loans, alleging that funds were diverted or misapplied, leaving the state heavily indebted without corresponding development outcomes.

El-Rufai’s administration is accused of inflated and irregular contract awards, with projects either abandoned, poorly executed, or awarded without due process.