I belong to the school of thought that believes that the problem of Nigeria is not with our statutes, constitutions, or laws, but with us as a people. There is no law, no matter how well intended it may be and no matter how broad and encompassing it may be, our crooked nature would always see us seek ways of compromising, circumventing or breaching them. Introduce any law to Nigeria it will be given different interpretations to suit the whims and caprices of the rich and powerful.
It would be abused to suit the highest bidder or the man who pays the piper. Everyone knows that the 1999 Constitution recognises that there are three-tiers of government, i.e, the federal, state and local governments, but in practice that has not happened and it will never happen as long as the fundamental issues around how these politicians get to office is not addressed.
So, as the Supreme Court declared last Thursday, that it is unconstitutional for state governors to hold funds allocated for local government administrations, and seeing the excitement of those who hailed the verdict, one would wonder if they all had forgotten that this is Nigeria and that beautiful laws or judicial pronouncements in themselves cannot work anywhere unless the operators want them to work. The seven-man panel, in the judgment delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim, declared that the 774 local government councils in the country should manage their funds themselves. The apex court held that the power .