Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, will today deliver the keynote address as top policymakers, academics, and members of civil society gather in Abuja to deliberate on how to improve the performance and relevance of Nigeria’s 774 local councils.

Convened by Agora Policy, a Nigerian think-tank, the policy conversation was designed to review the implementation of the Supreme Court judgement on financial autonomy of the local government councils one year after the ruling. The landmark judgement, which also mandated that the councils be run by elected officials, was delivered by the Supreme Court on July 11, 2024, in a case instituted by the federal government.

According to the founder of Agora Policy, Waziri Audio, “One year is a good time to take stock and to start thinking about far-reaching reforms aimed at ensuring that our local councils are well positioned to discharged their constitutional responsibilities and meet the expectations and needs of our citizens.”

The policy conversation is supported by MacArthur Foundation and is organised by Agora Policy in partnership with the African Cities Research Consortium (ACRC), The Cable Newspapers, and Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CFTPI).

Apart from Edun, other guest speakers expected at the event include Dr. KoleShettima of MacArthur Foundation, Professor Diana Mitlin, the CEO of ACRC; Professor RemiAiyede of the University of Ibadan; Ms. Deborah Isser of the World Bank; Ms. Cynthia Rowe of the British High Commission; and Ms. OjoboAtuluku, Chair of Agora Policy.

The event will also feature a panel session to dissect the progress and challenges with the implementation of the Supreme Court ruling and to provide pathways for more effective, responsive and accountable local administration in the country.

The panellists are National President of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON); Chairman of the Forum of Finance Commissioners and Commissioner for Finance and Economic Development in Ekiti State, Mr. AkintundeOyebode; Secretary General of Women’s Rights Advancement and Protection Alternative (WRAPA), HajiaSaudatu Mahdi; Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Mr. Samson Itodo; and Executive Director of CFTPI, Dr. Umar Yakubu.

The panel will be moderated by Ms. Nancy Illoh-Nnaji, host of “Moneyline with Nancy,” a television programme.

A statement issued by the organisers said the overall goal of the dialogue was to get critical stakeholders to focus on the imperative of roots and branch reforms at the local level and how to make them happen.

The statement added, “This is the second policy conversation by Agora Policy on local government reforms. Supported by MacArthur Foundation and organised in partnership with five other civil society organisations, the first conversation was held on 5th August 2024, less than a month after the Supreme Court ruling.

“The theme of the event was: ‘Enthroning Accountability in Local Governance in Nigeria.’”

Agora Policy had also commissioned and published two policy papers on how to deepen local governance and local democracy in the country. The papers were: “Beyond Financial Autonomy—the Imperative of Moving from Local Government to Local Governance in Nigeria,” published on August 9, 2024; and “Why Credible Elections Matter for the Revival of Local Democracy in Nigeria,” published on April 27, 2025. Both papers were written by RemiAiyede, a professor of political institutions, governance and public policy at the Department of Political Science, University of Ibadan.

During the Tuesday event, Aiyede will set the scene for the event and the panel session.

He will speak on “Reflections on Five Decades of Local Government Reforms in Nigeria.”

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