The three regional governments enacted the northern, western and eastern nigeria local government laws of 1954 respectively. However, despite this public verdict, those in positions of authority in the country have, for selfish reasons, continued to frustrate attempts to grant autonomy to local governments. Local government and fiscal autonomy for local government. Local government administration in nigeria has been in existence since 1972 and its primary function is to bring government nearer to. During babangida regime 19841992 there were certain measures aimed at ensuring local government autonomy. The quest or agitation for local government autonomy has been a recurring decimal in the evolution of the nigerian federation. The paper will also examine some of the inherent factors inhibiting local government autonomy in nigeria.
This paper examined the utility of the local government autonomy as a. Local government in nigeria is rooted on historical antecedents of reforms. Intergovernmental financial relations and local government. It defines primary education, educational administration and. Under the constitution of nigeria, the sjlga is a special account maintained by each state government into which shall be paid allocations to the local. The process of democratizing local government administration started as far back as 1954. 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 bill news latest breaking. It is a subordinate government, which derives its existence. Local government autonomy and primary school education. 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. But our choice of definition will be those that are of relevance to the contemporary nigerian local government system. The total population for the study is 200 staff of ofu local government of kogi state. Local government and fiscal autonomy for local government in. Local governments are not sovereign unlike independence nationstate.
Abstract local governments are not sovereign unlike independent nation states. This is with a view to understanding the intricacies of the fundamental problem 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. 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. Pdf local government lg is an intermediary player between the federal authority and the grassroots in a given society. The current number of local government in nigeria is 774. The 1976 local government reform in nigeria made local government as a third tier of government.
The 1976 local government reform fixes the population of a local government not less than 150,000 and not more than 800, 000. Pdf on may 31, 2018, ahmed wali doho and others published local government autonomy in nigeria. Therefore, the starting point of this paper is that local government autonomy is often presented as a magic bullet that can address a wide variety of different problems in local service delivery. 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.
Primary education administration in nigeria in the phase of self governance of local government as the agitation for local government autonomy is on going in the country by the national union of local government employees nulge. 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. Why local governments should be given autonomy vanguard news. Pdf local government autonomy and its effectiveness in. Pdf local government autonomy and its effectiveness in nigeria.
Local government autonomy as an imperative for true. It is on record that public views on the amendment of the 1999 constitution were majorly in favour of local government autonomy. Notably, the dubious state and local government joint account has. The crisis of local government autonomy in nigeria is a recurrent issue. This means that local government has legislative powers just like the federal and state governments. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. This study is on nigeria federalism and local government autonomy. The main objective of the study is to intellectualize local government autonomy from a new perspective from the ones in extant literature.
The nature and structure of transactions or interactions between the three tiers of government determine the degree of autonomy. An overview of local government autonomy and its functions in nigeria by adam a. Reacting to issues on local government autonomy, president muhammadu buhari said, apparently, it is corruption that led to the relegation of local governments to the grip of state governments. 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. Abstract local governments are not sovereign unlike independent nationstates.
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 granting of financial autonomy to the 774 local governments in nigeria through the operation of the newly established nigerian financial intelligence unit nfiu is, perhaps, the first time genuine and creative step is being taken in the fight against corruption by the present administration. Brief history of local government in nigeria legit. The politics of local government in nigeria reloaded has been inspired by the 20 constitution amendment process initiated by the national assembly. Local government autonomy in nigeria kamlaraj enterprises. Olowu says local government should have some degree of. The local government service commission has been empowered to handle staff matters. It is important to note that the federal government has over the years joined in. It is a subordinate government, which derives its existence and power from law enacted by a superior government. What are the reasons for the creation of local government in nigeria. 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. In all, there are 774 local governments in nigeria including the four area councils in abuja. Federal principle and local government autonomy in nigeria.
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. 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. They are in fact political structures that have increasingly become sad and forceful reminders of the systematic. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. It started from the precolonial era 1945 of administration where the kings, chiefs and elders held sway over the governance of. Local government and intergovernmental relations in nigerias fourth republic.
Using desk research and interview methods, the findings show that in both old and new federations. 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. Local administration in nigeria has passed the four distinct stages of development. 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. 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 and intergovernmental relations in.
Local government administration has been faced with series of developmental and economic. 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. The role of local government in rural development issues. Local government autonomy will benefit all nigerians. He said that the characteristics of this federal principle are the division of powers among levels. Also, with the use of indepth interviewed, it has been observed that undue interference of state government in local affair, corruption among local government official etc. 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. 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. In other words, what are the defining characteristics of local government autonomy. The scope and future of local government autonomy in nigeria. Intergovernmental financial relations and local government autonomy in nigeria. It is a matter of polemics if local governments in nigeria are raising sufficient revenue. Local government autonomy in nigeria s polity the term local government autonomy is perceived as local self government or grassroots democracy.
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. Local government autonomy news latest breaking stories. So far the local government system in nigeria has not been stable and thus its future remains bleak, uncertain and insecure. 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. Section 7 9 of 1997 constitution provides that legislative powers of local government shall be vested in the local government council. The autonomy concept which is defined in the european charter of local self government as the right and opportunity for the local governments within the limits laid down by the laws to. Financial autonomy for local governments the sun nigeria. C wheare, is the method of dividing powers so that the central and regional governments are each, within a sphere, coordinate and independent. The recent directive by the nigeria financial intelligence unit nfiu barring state governments from tampering with local governments allocations is a welcome development. 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.
Former president olusegun obasanjo has described state governments still opposing the local government autonomy bill already passed by the national assembly as. Many reasons, ranging from the political to the socioeconomic. These include the abolition of the ministry of local government. How much autonomy this third tier of government possesses is unclear and uncertain to the extent that it engenders the problem of measurement. 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.
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