The number of local governments in nigeria has been fixed at 453 by the. National assembly to support local government autonomy the. Dec 19, 2017 speaker house of representatives, mr yakubu dogara, on tuesday in abuja said the national assembly was committed to ensuring that local government administration in the country got autonomy. One of the arguments in favour of local governments is for the simple reason of accountability. It revealed that there is a remarkably difference between local government autonomy and democratic governance in nigeria and usa. Pdf on may 8, 2019, goddey wilson and others published local government autonomy as a strategy for socioeconomic development of rural communities in nigeria find, read and cite all the. Over the years, efforts have been geared towards democratizing the. The paper will also examine some of the inherent factors inhibiting local government autonomy in nigeria. Local government autonomy in nigeria essay 998 words. Read all the latest news, breaking stories, top headlines, opinion, pictures and videos about local government autonomy bill from nigeria and the world on today. Local government service commission and challenges of. The two countries have enormous differences that can be counted, in their model and local government systems. Amend constitution to guarantee local government autonomy.
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. Local government administration in nigeria and the localist theory. They are in fact political structures that have increasingly become sad and forceful reminders of the systematic. The three regional governments enacted the northern, western and eastern nigeria local government laws of 1954 respectively. The controversy about the autonomy of the local government usually revolves around this constitutional. Department of public administration ahmadu bello university, kongocampus, zaria kaduna state, nigeria. Local governments in nigerias federal system rank the lowest in the hierarchy under both federal and state levels. The crisis of local government autonomy in nigeria is a recurrent issue. Local government administration in nigeria and the localist. The autonomy of local governments and the place of the 4th tier government.
It revealed that there is a remarkably difference between local government autonomy and. Autonomy of local government in relation to other levels or tiers of government manifests itself in. A former chief of staff to the governor of oyo state and visiting professor of political science at igbinedion university, okada, edo state, adeolu akande, has. Appraisal of local government autonomy on service delivery at the grassroots in nigeria rasak salaam bachelor thesis politics international politics region. That there are impediments to local government autonomy in nigeria. Local government and fiscal autonomy for local government. The topical issue of local government lg autonomy in nigeria in relation to the development of the localities. To explain if full autonomy is given to nigeria local government system ofu local government will enhance its service delivery. May 01, 2017 a former chief of staff to the governor of oyo state and visiting professor of political science at igbinedion university, okada, edo state, adeolu akande, has advocated local government autonomy. Local government autonomy news latest breaking stories. In other words, what are the defining characteristics of local government autonomy. Download the complete political science project topic and material chapter 15 titled federal principle and local government autonomy in nigeria. A veritable tool for redressing usurpation of powers of local governments by the state governments in nigeria. The major challenge bedeviling the operations of local government area in nigeria is local government autonomy as local government areas in nigeria are not truly autonomous.
There is a correlation between the granting of full autonomy to local government ofu local government and enhanced service. Postindependence era was followed with the importance of bringing the local government system to the limelight. 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. However, the efforts of governments such as that of benue state to show support and for autonomy is encouraging. An apparisal of the autonomy of local government as a. The study adopted secondary source of collecting data.
Granting autonomy to local governments in nigeria may yet appear as an exercise in futility, particularly given the extent to which corruption has done damage to the countrys sociopolitical sphere. 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. Why the quest for the autonomy of local governments is important. Doc federalism and local govt autonomy in nigeria king. Obviously, compared to a state governor, it is easier to hold the local government chairperson to account. Protecting local governments from arbitrary state and federal. Local government in nigeria is rooted on historical antecedents of reforms. Autonomy of local government in relation to other levels or tiers of government manifests itself in three critical areas as follows. They operate with the powers left over from the state government which is very little so they dont. Sep 03, 2017 to explain if full autonomy is given to nigeria local government system ofu local government will enhance its service delivery. The scope and future of local government autonomy in nigeria. Local government autonomy serves not only the historical cultural and linguistic aspiration of the local people but draws the local citizen closer to the centre of power by increasing hisher capacity to control and participate in the decisions of government.
That federalism seems to guarantee local government autonomy. The intrigues of local government autonomy in nigeria. But despite constitutional provisions that specify the powers of each level of government in nigeria, local governments are suffering from lack of autonomy. Pdf local government autonomy and its effectiveness in. How much autonomy this third tier of government possesses is unclear and uncertain to the extent that it engenders the problem of measurement. See below for the abstract, table of contents, list of figures, list of tables, list of appendices, list of abbreviations and chapter one. That nigeria local government system lacks autonomy. Since 2008, the question of whether the 774 local government areas within the federal republic of nigeria should be granted autonomous status like the states or not has been a recurrent decimal during constitutional amendment debates in nigeria. Local government administration in nigeria has been in existence since 1972 and its primary function is to bring government nearer to. The reforms granted local government autonomy by empowering them to control their affairs.
Local government autonomy in nigeria essay sample the basic irony between the u. To ascertain the relationship between federal principle and local government autonomy. Why the quest for the autonomy of local governments is. This is with a view to understanding the intricacies of the fundamental problem of local government autonomy in nigeria. Local government autonomy bill news latest breaking. A key element of local selfgovernment is financial autonomy. Rather than a debate on local government autonomy, we should be asking whether we need states. The politics of local government in nigeria reloaded has been inspired by the 20 constitution amendment process initiated by the national assembly. There are so many problems facing this tier which we shall discuss.
An overview of local government autonomy and its functions in. Usurpation of powers of local governments by the state. The process of democratizing local government administration started as far back as 1954. 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.
Africa publish your bachelors or masters thesis, dissertation, term paper or essay. Politics and challenges of the 1999 constitution asaju, k. 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. He said that the characteristics of this federal principle are the division of powers. The local government areas in nigeria have however, not been very effective due to the fact that they are very much dependent on the state government. Local autonomy can deepen democracy by bringing government closer to the people. 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. The core points in the 1976 reforms were as follows.
Nigeria practices the federal presidential system of government while france is a. Local government administration in nigeria and the. To investigate if nigeria local government system ofu local government is fully autonomous. An evaluation with abstract, chapter 15, references and questionnaire. Pdf local government autonomy as a strategy for socio. Nigeria local government system ofu local government is not autonomous. Jun 02, 2017 granting autonomy to local governments in nigeria may yet appear as an exercise in futility, particularly given the extent to which corruption has done damage to the countrys sociopolitical sphere. I will support a bill to free local governments from states, says president buhari. The three of them are involved in delivering dividends of democracy to the people. The local government is the third tier of government. The main objective of the study is to intellectualize local government autonomy from a new perspective from the ones in extant literature. This paper examines the contradictions in local government system.
The relative roles of the three tiers of governmentthe federal. Some scholars olowu 1988, adeyeye, 2005 have distinguished local government depending on the political arrangement of the nation, i. It seems federalism guarantees local government autonomy. Local authorities in many advanced countries enjoy. An overview of local government autonomy and its functions in nigeria by adam a. Local government autonomy bill news latest breaking stories. The local councils can hardly be developmental, just as they are practically tied to the apron strings of the state by the constitution.
Local government and fiscal autonomy for local government in. Local government administration in nigeria is classified as the third tier of government while several problems have been its recurring decimal and various reforms since 1976 havent been able to make the system effective and responsible to developmental challenges. However, it does appear that the various reforms and the practice of local governments in nigeria over the years have tended to remove much of the autonomy granted this level of government. The paper examined a comparative analysis of local government autonomy and democratic governance in nigeria and usa. Nigeria and switzerland, local government has been entrenched. Federalism in nigeria and local government autonomy. Appraisal of local government autonomy on service delivery. The objective of this study is to examine local government financial autonomy and how local councils can be free from induce interference by the state, especially in the area of operation, statelocal government joint account which gives the state government undue advantage over local government.
National assembly to support local government autonomy. Local government autonomy latest breaking news from nigeria. 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. Federal principle and local government autonomy in nigeria. The objective of this study is to examine local government financial autonomy and how local councils can be free from induce interference by the state, especially in the area of operation, state local government joint account which gives the state government undue advantage over local government. 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. The quest or agitation for local government autonomy has been a recurring decimal in the evolution of the nigerian federation. 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. The authority relationship among the national, state and local. It was created to bring government closer to the grassroots and give the people a sense of belonging. Jan 06, 2018 local government autonomy and the nigerian federation. So far the local government system in nigeria has not been stable and thus its future remains bleak, uncertain and insecure.
A critical evaluation with abstract, chapter 15, references and questionnaire. It is interesting to note that even the federal government has in recent times joined in championing the course of local government autonomy. At the theoretical level, it will add to the frontier of knowledge of nigerian federalism and local. Local governments are not sovereign unlike independence nationstate. 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. Hence this paper evaluates the performance of the local government service commission and challenges of local government autonomy in nigeria. Therefore, it is the nature and structure of transactions or interactions between the three levels of government that reveals the degree of local government. Local government autonomy as an imperative for true. Just as a builder relies on a building plan and a voyager uses a compass to guide his voyage. Pdf local government autonomy and its effectiveness in nigeria. The paper, therefore, suggests a new focus in which the emphasis should be on the desirability or otherwise of substantial autonomy for. There is a correlation between the granting of full autonomy to local government ofu local government and enhanced service delivery. Olowu says local government should have some degree of.
That was the headline of a new story in the nigerian tribune on september 16, 2016. Model and determinants of statelocal governments relations in. The autonomy of local governments and the place of the 4th. Nigeria cannot be an exception to this global norm. A need for constitutional reform the basic irony between the u. Many reasons, ranging from the political to the socioeconomic, have been given for the creation of local government. Local governments are the nearest government of the people at the grassroots in nigeria and they are expected to play frontier role to the national development of. C where, is the method of dividing powers so that the central and regional governments are each, within a sphere, co ordinate and independent. Exploring the nexus jide ibietan1, peter ndukwe2 abstract the main objective of this paper is to examine the nature and challenges of local government administration in nigeria using the localist theory as framework of analysis. Local government autonomy and its effectiveness in nigeria. 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. Speaker house of representatives, mr yakubu dogara, on tuesday in abuja said the national assembly was committed to ensuring that local. Local government autonomy in nigeria essay example. What are the reasons for the creation of local government in nigeria.
Jan 15, 20 one of the arguments in favour of local governments is for the simple reason of accountability. Why local governments should be given autonomy vanguard news. Pdf his paper undertook a historical overview of the development of the local government system in nigeria, especially from 1950, when nigeria became. Therefore, when one talks of local government autonomy in nigeria s polity, one refers to the relative independence of local government control by both the state and federal governments. Many reasons, ranging from the political to the socioeconomic. The place and role of local government in federal systems konrad.
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