Delta State Governor, Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, has fully complied with the Supreme Court judgment granting financial autonomy to local government councils, making him the first governor in Nigeria to do so.
This was disclosed on Saturday by the Director-General of the Delta State Bureau for Orientation and Communications, Dr. Fred Latimore Oghenesivbe, during a flagship public affairs programme on Ritz FM in Warri.
According to Oghenesivbe, Governor Oborevwori had been a strong advocate of local government financial autonomy long before the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on the matter. He explained that immediately after the inauguration of the newly elected council chairmen last year, the governor released all outstanding arrears kept in trust under the joint account system to the 25 local government councils in the state.
He noted that President Bola Tinubu’s recent expression of displeasure over the non-compliance of some state governors with the Supreme Court ruling does not apply to Delta State, as Governor Oborevwori has consistently complied with the judgment.
The Bureau Director-General stated that the full implementation of local government financial autonomy in Delta State has yielded visible results, with council chairmen scaling up infrastructure development, improving the delivery of primary healthcare services, constructing markets, and effectively carrying out their constitutionally assigned responsibilities as the third tier of government.
Oghenesivbe further assured that Governor Oborevwori would continue to obey lawful directives and final court judgments in matters of governance, constitutional compliance, and the enforcement of laws that promote accountability, transparency, equity, and good governance.
Speaking on the governor’s plans for Deltans in 2026, he disclosed that the N1.7 trillion “Budget of Accelerated MORE Agenda” has earmarked about N1.6 trillion for capital projects. He said this allocation would translate into the execution of major infrastructure projects and socio-economic programmes aimed at boosting economic growth and sustainable development across the state.
He added that over N20 billion has been set aside for social investment programmes targeting youths, women, and other vulnerable groups. According to him, the initiative will create more jobs, lift thousands of Deltans out of poverty, expand financial support for small and medium-scale enterprises, and position Delta State as a preferred destination for local and foreign investors.
Oghenesivbe also revealed that electrification projects would take centre stage, with the Delta Rural Electricity Agency and the Delta State Electricity Commission driving phased urban and rural electrification through public-private partnership arrangements.
“In Nigeria, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori was the first governor to comply with the Supreme Court judgment on local government financial autonomy,” he said. “Immediately after the local government council chairmen were inaugurated last year, he released all monies due to them in a single tranche and has never defaulted in the release of monthly allocations.
“The positive impact of council autonomy is evident across the state. Councils now have the financial capacity to execute road construction projects and, to a large extent, perform their constitutionally assigned responsibilities to the people.
“What this means is that President Bola Tinubu’s recent displeasure over non-compliance with the Supreme Court judgment does not apply to Delta State, because the governor has consistently obeyed final court judgments,” Oghenesivbe added.