Following the clamour for local government autonomy, a new lease of life that will usher in new development strides and galvanise labour activism at the grassroots level may be beckoning, as the joint state local government account and the power of state houses of assemblies to regulate activities of the local governments, which one way or another counters the objective of lg autonomy, may. Department of public administration ahmadu bello university, kongocampus, zaria kaduna state, nigeria. Nigeria cannot be an exception to this global norm. 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. Financial autonomy for local governments in nigeria over the years, it would appear that local government administrations in nigeria have been tied to the apron strings of their various state governments. An analysis grace malachi brown, phd department of history and diplomatic studies faculty of humanities rivers state university of education pmb 5047, rumuolumeni port harcourt, rivers state nigeria. 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. Opinion financial autonomy for local governments in. The local autonomy law specifies that the basic units of local government shall be the. Problems and prospect of local government autonomy in.
Local government autonomy bill news latest breaking stories. 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. How much autonomy this third tier of government possesses is unclear and uncertain to the extent that it engenders the problem of measurement. An overview of mergers and acquisitions under nigerian.
Nigerias constitutional system explicitly establishes local autonomy as one of the principles of its three tier federalism. This paper addresses the statutory financial relations and financial autonomy of local government in nigeria, and the freedom of local government to generate revenue from its assigned sources. These include representative lgs, the size of lgs, revenue, and personnel. Autonomy of local government and the place of the 4th tier government community government councils in nigerias vision 20. According to wheare 1944 federal principle means the method of dividing powers so that general and regional governments are each within a sphere.
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. The struggle for local government autonomy in nigeria is as old as the history of nigeria. In fact, democracy itself originated and developed along the lines of local governance initiatives in the ancient greek city. The second examines the evolution of state creation in nigeria and iden. Post independence era was followed with the importance of bringing the local government system to the limelight. It is a subordinate government, which derives its existence. The study further shows that in nigeria, the kind of autonomy the federal and state governments transfer to the local government is largely shaped by ethnicity and. Local government and fiscal autonomy for local government. Therefore, when one talks of local government autonomy in nigerias polity, one refers to the relative independence of local government control by both the state and federal governments. In fact, democracy itself originated and developed. 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. Local government autonomy as an imperative for true. This division of power simplifies the activities of government and serves.
A need for constitutional reform the basic irony between the u. It is important to note that the federal government has over the years joined in. Rather than a debate on local government autonomy, we should be asking whether we need states. Feb 04, 2017 in ontario canada, local governements, municipalities are creations of the provinces.
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. Sep 03, 2017 to explain if full autonomy is given to nigeria local government system ofu local government will enhance its service delivery. But unfortunately, the reverse is the case in nigeria. Model and determinants of statelocal governments relations in. Politics and challenges of the 1999 constitution asaju, k. The paper canvassed the need for synergy and collaborative approach to community development and reform initiatives anchored on theory to practice policy inclination.
It is a subordinate government which derives its existence and power from laws enacted by a superior government. Over the years, efforts have been geared towards democratizing. In nigeria, the nature and structure of transactions or interactions between the three tiers of. In this paper we present a working definition of local government autonomy based on. This is with a view to understanding the intricacies of the fundamental problem of local government autonomy in nigeria. The intrigues of local government autonomy in nigeria. In strengthening local government autonomy, the government commitment to the cause of local government autonomy was demonstrated by the babangida administration when it was announced that the share of local governments from the federation account was increased from 10% to 15% in 1991 and then to 20% at the expense of the state 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. Recently, in october 2011, nigerian breweries acquired majority equity interests in. Merger and acquisition is a unique field in the nigeria legal system, and this is connected to the limited expertise in this area. Jan 06, 2018 local government autonomy and the nigerian federation. The process of democratizing local government administration started as far back as 1954. The agitations for autonomy of local government areas in nigeria no matter how desirable have not succeeded and cannot succeed because nigeria is a federation. Local government administration in nigeria and community.
Within nigeria, slavery was widespread and bore social implications that are still evident. 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. During the colonial period, there were reforms through the northern nigeria, western nigeria, and eastern. The first seeks to provide a conceptual framework for understanding the political process in nigeria. The earliest form of local governments exists in the form of clan and village meetings. 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. An overview of local government autonomy and its functions. Local authorities in many advanced countries enjoy relative. Data for the study were gathered from facetoface interview, available records in iwo local government, text books, lecture notes, journals, reports, seminar presentation and internet materials. It is unfortunate that a simple policy initiative, merger of ministries and agencies of government for ease of bureaucratic business by the oneyear.
Revision accepted 26, june 2009 abstract the topical issue of local government lg autonomy in nigeria in relation to the development of. Nigeria, july 2008 2 of slaves flowed north across the sahara for a millennium, ending only at the beginning of the twentieth century. Merger of ministries, departments and agencies mdas. I will support a bill to free local governments from states, says president buhari.
The politics of local government in nigeria reloaded has been inspired by the 20 constitution amendment process initiated by the national assembly. Comparing local government autonomy across states comparing. Zever abstract the focus of the paper is on autonomy induced governance problems of local government. The autonomy of local governments and the place of the 4th. Therefore, this study examines the issue of local government autonomy in nigeria from a historical perspective. Many reasons, ranging from the political to the socioeconomic, have been given for the creation of local government. The study adopted secondary source of collecting data. Local government administration in nigeria and the localist theory. 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 revealed that there is a remarkably difference between local government autonomy and democratic governance in nigeria and usa. The crisis of local government autonomy in nigeria is a recurrent issue. Invariably, effective autonomy and igr that respects the powers and. National assembly to support local government autonomy the.
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. Problems and prospects of revenue generation in local. 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. Folake eliasadebowale is a corporate partner and head of the firms private equity and oil and gas teams. These constitutional confusions seri ously and negatively impact on local governments autonomy in nigeria. Proceeding from theoretical framework and conceptualizations for clearer understanding, the paper discusses some dominant autonomy issues. Every month, edo people witnessed the local government chairmen openly announcing the monies shared between them and the state in the monthly joint.
What are the reasons for the creation of local government in nigeria. Local government autonomy in nigeria essay sample the basic irony between the u. Library of congress federal research division country profile. For more than 32 years that the military was in power following nigerias independence, one of its landmark contributions to the autonomy of local government was the 1976 local government reform that severed the traditional rulers from local government. Local government autonomy latest breaking news from nigeria.
This is because since 1999, many states in nigeria are ran by executives and councilors who are appointed by their state governors and even in situations where elections take place these. The study therefore examined the operations if the statelocal government joint allocation committee and financial autonomy in ogun state, nigeria, one of the 36 states in the country. The legal framework of merger and acquisition in nigeria. In edo state, the apc administration led by governor godwin obaseki granted what can best be described as autonomy to all local government areas in the state to boost development at the grassroots. To appreciate this section, it is necessary to operationalize the key concept in the discourse autonomy. Since the inception of the system of local government in nigeria, there had been.
Abstract local governments are not sovereign unlike independent nation states. Many reasons, ranging from the political to the socioeconomic. Local government autonomy and development of localities in. Local governments are essentially created to deliver services at the grassroots and bring. 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. Constitution which affects local government autonomy was the. At the theoretical level, it will add to the frontier of knowledge of nigerian federalism and local. Nov, 2016 i will support a bill to free local governments from states, says president buhari. Limitations of local government autonomy in nigeria.
The main objective of the study is to intellectualize local government autonomy from a new perspective from the ones in extant literature. Introduction nigeria and nigerians have been caught in the frenzy of centenary celebration. In nigeria, the nature and structure of transactions or interactions between the three tiers of government determine the degree of autonomy. Why local governments should be given autonomy vanguard news. 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. Restoring local governments autonomy the guardian 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. The study will also examine some of the inherent factors inhibiting local government autonomy in nigeria. Theoretically, this work is significant because it will improve the literature base on local government autonomy in nigeria.
Local government autonomy in nigeria essay example. The framework for local government autonomy was put in place at least in a formal sense but the. The focus of this paper therefore is an examination of local government finance in nigeria using iwo local government as a case study. Mrs lizzy samuel teacher i think the issue of local government autonomy would have been ideal if we have honest, sincere and selfless people as chairmen. Local government autonomy in nigeria essay 998 words.
So far the local government system in nigeria has not been stable and thus its future remains bleak, uncertain and insecure. Concerning special measures for the merger of municipalities in 1965. Local government administration in nigeria and the. The quest or agitation for local government autonomy has been a recurring decimal in the evolution of the nigerian federation. Local government is not sovereign like independent nationstate. Local governments are essentially created to deliver services at the grassroots and bring governance closer to the people. It revealed that there is a remarkably difference between local government autonomy and. In nigeria, since the 1976 local government reform, and subsequent. Using theoretical analytical method, the paper found that local government system in nigeria has been an unfortunate orphan under the state and federal government. One of the arguments in favour of local governments is for the simple reason of accountability. 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. Obviously, compared to a state governor, it is easier to hold the local government chairperson to account. The federal military government accepted the report by recognizing local governments as a third tier of government and assigning specific duties to them see fourth schedule of the 1979 constitution. Local government autonomy and development of localities in nigeria.
Local government administration in nigeria has been in existence since 1972 and its primary function is to bring government nearer to. Local government and fiscal autonomy for local government in. Local government autonomy news latest breaking stories. In other words, what are the defining characteristics of local government autonomy.
That was the headline of a new story in the nigerian tribune on september 16, 2016. 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. It also examined the nature of three tier federative structure of france and nigeria and the reasons for the failure of the model in nigeria to guarantee local government autonomy as envisaged by the design. A local government cannot proclaim any bylaw, regulation or take action unless it is so authorized by the ontario municipal act. The significance of this research is to provide local and foreign investors with the whither knowhow of the practice of merger and acquisition in nigeria. Arising from this severance, a separate council known as traditional. The advent of local government administration in nigeria took off in an unpopular manner when it was vested in the hands of traditional authorities during the colonial era. 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. This division of power simplifies the activities of government and serves as a viable incentive for good governance and development.
The three regional governments enacted the northern, western and eastern nigeria local government laws of 1954 respectively. The paper examined a comparative analysis of local government autonomy and democratic governance in nigeria and usa. Pdf local government financial autonomy in nigeria. In effect, the paper set as its objectives to examine the challenges of lg administration, previous efforts by the governments in nigeria to address the challenges and lessons that could be learnt from other workable systems. It is also a contribution to the existing literature in the area of local government autonomy. The scope and future of local government autonomy in nigeria. An overview of local government autonomy and its functions in. Pdf decentralization and local government autonomy. 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. So if the local government are autonomous, i think it will be the best for the country.
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