In all, there are 774 local governments in nigeria including the four area councils in abuja. Proceeding from theoretical framework and conceptualizations for clearer understanding, the paper discusses some dominant autonomy issues. Local government administration in nigeria has been in existence since 1972 and its primary function is to bring government nearer to the people at the grassroots. Many reasons, ranging from the political to the socioeconomic, have been given for the creation of local government. The study will focus on the ofu local government which the study will be benefited. The term is used to contrast with offices at state level, which are referred to as the central government, national government, or where appropriate federal government and also to. To investigate if nigeria local government system ofu local government is fully autonomous. A local government system in which local government is free to do what it wishes but has no possibility of doing anything important does not conform to. Local government autonomy and development of localities in.
Federal principle and local government autonomy in nigeria. Aug 22, 2017 the nigeria union of local government employees nulge has said the aim of the agitation for local government autonomy is to free the third tier of government from the control of state. Local government autonomy will benefit all nigerians nulge. The topical issue of local government lg autonomy in nigeria in. The 1976 local government reform in nigeria made local government as a third tier of government. The current number of local government in nigeria is 774. However, all these reforms did not ensure a complete autonomy of local government system until the introduction of the 1976 local government reform under the military administration of.
The paper, therefore, suggests a new focus in which the emphasis should be on the desirability or otherwise of substantial autonomy for local governments in nigeria. Postindependence era was followed with the importance of bringing the local government system to the limelight. The paper, therefore, suggests a new focus in which the emphasis should be on the desirability or otherwise of substantial autonomy for. Conceptualizing local government autonomy in nigeria. Description nigerian federalism and local government autonomy 8 pages chapter one. Many reasons, ranging from the political to the socioeconomic. From the 1970s many countries in the region, starting with nigeria 1976, began. Rather than a debate on local government autonomy, we should be asking whether we need states. Since the inception of the system of local government in nigeria, there had been. These include the abolition of the ministry of local government. This grassroots democracy is concerned about giving the vast majority of the people the fullest opportunity to participate in determining their own destiny. An apparisal of the autonomy of local government as a.
Using desk research and interview methods, the findings show that in both old and new federations the. The term local government autonomy connotes local self government or grass root democracy. According to wheare 1944 federal principle means the method of dividing powers so that general and. The 1976 local government reforms was the third in the series of the local government reforms ever contemplated in the history of nigeria local government. This is with a view to understanding the intricacies of the fundamental problem of local government autonomy in nigeria. This means that local government has legislative powers just like the federal and state governments. Local government autonomy news latest breaking stories and. To ascertain if federalism guarantees local government autonomy. The study will give a clear insight on the federal principle and local government autonomy in nigeria. It was created to bring government closer to the grassroots and give the people a sense of belonging. Appraisal of local government autonomy on service delivery at the grassroots in nigeria rasak salaam bachelor thesis politics international politics region. Curiously, the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of nigeria, which accorded local governments a third tier status, also made provision for the statelocal government joint account system. One of the arguments in favour of local governments is for the simple reason of accountability.
Local government autonomy in nigeria s polity the term local government autonomy is perceived as local self government or grassroots democracy. The 1976 local government conceptual analysis there are two basic concepts that are central to this research work. Africa publish your bachelors or masters thesis, dissertation, term paper or essay. The 1966 local government reform was to correct the ills of the local government system they inherited. To make the local government areas viable and functional within the federation called nigeria, i suggest that rather than continue to toy with the impracticable idea of autonomy, the constitution should be amended by the appropriate authorities to divest the state governments of the powers to conduct local government elections. To explain if full autonomy is given to nigeria local government system ofu local government will enhance its service delivery. They are in fact political structures that have increasingly become sad and forceful reminders of the systematic. Appraisal of local government autonomy on service delivery at. The politics of local government autonomy in nigeria reloaded felix akpan, phd okonette ekanem department of public administration, university of calabar, nigeria abstract the politics of local government in nigeria reloaded has been inspired by the 20 constitution amendment process initiated by the national assembly. The performance of local government in service delivery made nigerian citizens to lose trust in local government as an institution established to respond to the masses needs agba et al.
Introduction the existence of local government has always been defended on the basis that it is a crucial aspect of the process of democratization and intensification of mass participation in the decisionmaking process. Olowu says local government should have some degree of. Local government autonomy can be considered within the context of the classical theory of federalism epitomised by wheare, which stresses a formal division of powers between levels of government. Politics and challenges of the 1999 constitution asaju, k. The relative roles of the three tiers of governmentthe federal.
Panchayats and municipalities at grass root as such, in india, local government is the third stratum of the government, the first two being the central and state governments. At the theoretical level, it will add to the frontier of knowledge of nigerian federalism and local. I think that was a right move, otherwise nigerias wahala will multiply if the 774 local government councils are granted autonomy because they will take corruption to the next level, said. The first epoch took place from 1946 to 1966, the second epoch lasted from 1967 to 1976, and the final stage started from 1976 and exists till date. Brief history of local government in nigeria legit. Over the years, efforts have been geared towards democratizing the. Why local governments should be given autonomy vanguard news. Department of public administration ahmadu bello university, kongocampus, zaria kaduna state, nigeria. The study will also look at the reason why autonomy is not given to local government.
The local government is the third tier of government. In spite of this, the autonomy of local governments remains severely. Local government autonomy as an imperative for true. The topical issue of local government lg autonomy in nigeria in relation to the development of the localities, the raison detre of lgs, has been examined in this paper. Local government autonomy bill news latest breaking stories. Introduction since the inception of the system of local government in nigeria, there had been persistent clamour for the autonomy of the local government as the third tier of governance in the federation. Local government administration in nigeria has been in existence since 1972 and its primary function is to bring government nearer to. The vexed issue of local government autonomy under nigerian federation. The process of democratizing local government administration started as far back as 1954. The three regional governments enacted the northern, western and eastern nigeria local government laws of 1954 respectively.
C where, is the method of dividing powers so that the central and regional governments are each, within a sphere, coordinate and independent. A local government is a form of public administration which, in a majority of contexts, exists as the lowest tier of administration within a given state. An overview of local government autonomy and its functions in. Local government and fiscal autonomy for local government.
It started from the precolonial era 1945 of administration where the kings, chiefs and elders held sway over the governance of their respective domains. Pdf on may 31, 2018, ahmed wali doho and others published local. Nigerian federalism and local government autonomy project. C wheare, is the method of dividing powers so that the central and regional governments are each, within a sphere, coordinate and independent. During babangida regime 19841992 there were certain measures aimed at ensuring local government autonomy. Nigerian federalism and local government autonomy chapter one introduction 1.
So far the local government system in nigeria has not been stable and thus its future remains bleak, uncertain and insecure. Local government and intergovernmental relations in. The concept of local government represents a grassroots level of administration meant for meeting peculiar needs of the people at the local level. Curiously, the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of nigeria, which accorded local governments a third tier status, also made provision for the state local government joint account system. In this paper we present a working definition of local government autonomy based on. Pdf local government autonomy and its effectiveness in. It connotes local government management authority with the will of its own and freedom to develop policy direction and pursue its development plan free from dictation from outside. Section 7 9 of 1997 constitution provides that legislative powers of local government shall be vested in the local government council. Former president olusegun obasanjo has described state governments still opposing the local government autonomy bill already passed by the national assembly as enemies of the people at the grassroots. Appraisal of local government autonomy on service delivery at the.
Pdf local government lg is an intermediary player between the federal authority and the grassroots in a given society. Using desk research and interview methods, the findings show that in both old and new federations. There is thus, the need to grant local government areas full autonomy as well as increase its funding as it would help to enhance grass root participation in the development of nigeria. The local government service commission has been empowered to handle staff matters. Local government and fiscal autonomy for local government in. A need for constitutional reform the basic irony between the u. There is a near consensus of opinion among scholars of the nigerian local government system that local government autonomy has been negatively exploited by the state governments to the detriment. The state government sometimes delay payments to the local government areas and in most cases do not remit the complete 20. The nigeria union of local government employees nulge south west zone, said the approval of local government autonomy will help put an end to the security challenges in most of the rural. It also discusses the rationale for the creation of local governments, election into local government councils, local government autonomy, structural and institutional innovations in nigeria. The 1976 local government reform fixes the population of a local government not less than 150,000 and not more than 800, 000. Local administration in nigeria has passed the four distinct stages of development.
Nigeria cannot be an exception to this global norm. In constitutional sense, democracy is the system of government, in the administration. What are the reasons for the creation of local government in nigeria. The nigeria union of local government employees nulge has said the aim of the agitation for local government autonomy is to free the third tier of government from the control of state.
The agitations surrounding the string of affairs in our local government system is beginning to take shape courtesy of the government of president muhammadu buhari. Nigeria is one of the few countries in africa that adopted a federal system of government, a. However, all these reforms did not ensure a complete autonomy of local government system until the introduction of the 1976 local government reform under the military administration of general olusegun obasanjo. The scope and future of local government autonomy in nigeria. The local councils can hardly be developmental, just as they are practically tied to the apron strings of the state by the constitution. There are so many problems facing this tier which we shall discuss. These are local government and intergovernmental relations.
Obviously, compared to a state governor, it is easier to hold the local government chairperson to account. Jan, 2017 to make the local government areas viable and functional within the federation called nigeria, i suggest that rather than continue to toy with the impracticable idea of autonomy, the constitution should be amended by the appropriate authorities to divest the state governments of the powers to conduct local government elections. It started from the precolonial era 1945 of administration where the kings, chiefs and elders held sway over the governance of. Former president olusegun obasanjo has described state governments still opposing the local government autonomy bill already passed by the national assembly as. The quest or agitation for local government autonomy has been a recurring decimal in the evolution of the nigerian federation. Local government autonomy in nigeria essay 998 words. Pdf local government autonomy and its effectiveness in nigeria. The paper will also examine some of the inherent factors inhibiting local government autonomy in nigeria. Pdf his paper undertook a historical overview of the development of the local government system in nigeria, especially from 1950. The intrigues of local government autonomy in nigeria. The nigeria union of local government employees nulge said only nine states have so far voted in support of local government autonomy in the ongoing effort to amend the constitution.