*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#
- Binji
- Bodinga
- Dange Shuni
- Gada
- Goronyo
- Gudu
- Gwadabawa
- Illela
- Isa
- Kebbe
- Kware
- Rabah
- Sabon Birni
- Shagari
- Silame
- Sokoto North
- Sokoto South
- Tambuwal
- Tangaza
- Tureta
- Wamako
- Wurno
- Yabo
Notes on the roster#
Sabon Birni, Isa, Rabah and Gada sit on the Zamfara/Niger Republic frontier and have borne the heaviest banditry losses in the state since 2019.
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)