Nigeria, July 14 -- On July 11, last year, the Supreme Court delivered a landmark judgment affirming the financial autonomy of Nigeria's 774 Local Government Councils. A move which was hailed by many as being necessary for development to get to the grassroots, since that tier of government is closer to the people.

The seven-member panel led by Justice Mohammed Garba unanimously upheld a suit brought by the federal government aimed at reinforcing the independence of local governments across the country. The court also rejected the stance of state governments that sought to dissolve democratically elected local government councils.

As was expected, the local governments have barely made any significant step in that direction. And the reas...