*23 local government areas, as listed in the First Schedule, Part I of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999. The list is constitutional, not administrative: a state may create development areas, but only an alteration of the Constitution can create a local government that draws from the Federation Account. Section 162(5)–(8) routes each council's share through a State Joint Local Government Account controlled by the state government — the arrangement the Supreme Court ruled against in Attorney-General of the Federation v. Attorney-General of Abia State & 35 Ors (11 July 2024), holding that allocations must go directly to democratically elected councils.*
The 23 councils#
- Ado
- Agatu
- Apa
- Buruku
- Gboko
- Guma
- Gwer East
- Gwer West
- Katsina-Ala
- Konshisha
- Kwande
- Logo
- Makurdi
- Obi
- Ogbadibo
- Ohimini
- Oju
- Okpokwu
- Otukpo
- Tarka
- Ukum
- Ushongo
- Vandeikya
Notes on the roster#
Guma, Logo, Agatu and Kwande have carried the heaviest tolls in the herder–farmer killings since 2013; several have hosted IDP camps continuously for a decade.
References
Sources#
- Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), First Schedule Part I
- INEC local government delimitation register
- Supreme Court of Nigeria, SC/CV/343/2024, judgment of 11 July 2024 (local government financial autonomy)