Using theoretical analytical method, the paper found that local government system in nigeria has been an unfortunate orphan under the state and federal government. Nigeria obtained her independence from britain in 1960 and practiced parliamentary system of government up to 1966 when it was interrupted by military coup. Merger of ministries, departments and agencies mdas. Designing governmentwide systems that automatically link performance results to resource allocation. For general information about the country profiles click here. Relevance and effectiveness in poverty reduction and economic development ito diejomaoh research fellow, african institute for applied economics eric eboh african institute for applied economics abstract this paper examines the local government system in nigeria, its relevance and impact in poverty.
Financial management in nigerian local government system. Within this system, functions are locally and directly executed by. The federal government of nigeria is composed of three distinct branches. The problems of autonomy and control in local government in nigeria. To explain why local governments have been ineffective.
Here is the list of all the 36 states in nigeria and abuja and their local government areas. Local government administration in nigeria and community. Politics and challenges of the 1999 constitution asaju, k. The paper argues that local government is not mutually exclusive of other levels of government and. 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. Nigerians were taken aback to learn that several attempts to reposition lg system since 1999 had failed. Umoren and olokoyo 2007 studied merger and acquisition in nigeria. Nigeria was under military rule from 1966 to 1979, when the country returned to civil rule and embraced presidential system of government which was also cut short by military coup in 1983. And, second, a uniform system of local governments system for the whole country was promulgated. Nigeria summary nigeria is a federal republic with three tiers of government. Nigeria has experimented with different systems of local government since the. Nigeria witnessed an unprecedented wave of mergers and acquisitions in its banking sector in the post1995 and 2009 periods as a result of regulatory mandates issued by the central bank of nigeria, aimed at strengthening the capital base of nigerian banks. This was the first time a concerted effort was made by the federal government to brighten the future of local government.
A cursory approach owing to the seizure of power by the buhariidiagbon military coup deetat of december. Local governments in nigeria relevance and effectiveness. 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. The federal government could not cover all areas in nigeria considering how big our country is, so 36 nigerian states and capital were created but alas. State and local government are enshrined in the constitution and provided for by legislation in each state, and the relevant ministry in each state is responsible for local government, which comprises 768 local government authorities. Pdf the expediency for the creation of local government anywhere in the. Association of local governments of nigeria there are three spheres of government in nigeria. Presidential and parliamentary systems are the two universally acclaimed systems of organizing. Improving personnel management in the nigerian local government system for national development man chafi shadrach department of public administration international university bamenda cameroon. Public sector restructuring and governance in nigeria. None of the local government councils in the polity can as. The nigerian state was a product of 1914 amalgamation of northern and southern protectorates by lord lugard.
Therefore, the rationale for fragmenting nigerias federal system. Aba north, aba south, arochukwu, bende, isiala ngwa south, ikwuano, isiala, ngwa north, isukwuato, ukwa west, ukwa east, umuahia, umuahia south. Dec 24, 2015 here is the list of all the 36 states in nigeria and abuja and their local government areas. Apr 10, 20 in recent years however, it is with the realization of the deplorable condition of the rural areas that calls have been made for a viable local government system in nigeria with a view to promote economic and social developments in all the nooks and corners of the country. Legislation requires local governments to establish committees, but their remits are not specified. From the outset, this paper argues that at the local government level. During the interim phase 19942000, local governments were consolidated from over 1 200 local authorities during apartheid7 to 843 municipal structures. The 1999 constitution provides for a bicameral national assembly consisting of a 360member house of representatives the green chamber. The 36 states in nigeria and their local government areas. To recommend a fundamental solution towards making local government rural development oriented. What are the reasons for the creation of local government in nigeria.
Local government and intergovernmental relations in. Jul 04, 2014 financial management in nigerian local government system. The evolution of local government in nigeria has followed very closely the precolonial, colonial and neocolonial political development in nigeria. One of the foundations of the new system of local government outlined in the white. Constitution of the federal republic of nigeria nigeria law. That is, it was a system akin to dual citizenship with citizens being simultaneously members of both a regional and a general polity.
Historical epochs of local government administration in. The 1999 constitution provides for a bicameral national assembly consisting of a 360member house of representatives the green chamber and a 109member senate the red chamber. Modern local government systems began in nigeria and ghana during the. Local government administration in nigeria and the localist theory. Ethnocommunal conflict and the local government system. Local government and intergovernmental relations in nigerias. Merger of ministries, departments and agencies mdas the. Pdf local government and good governance administration. In recent years however, it is with the realization of the deplorable condition of the rural areas that calls have been made for a viable local government system in nigeria with a view to promote economic and social developments in all the nooks and corners of the country. So far the local government system in nigeria has not been stable and thus its future remains bleak, uncertain and insecure.
Rather than a dichotomy, politics and administration is today seen as two. Each executive committee is headed by a chairperson, with responsibilities determined by state. Local government of nigeria commonwealth governance. The nature and challenges of local government administration in nigeria local government is the system of political decentralisation in which the power base of decision making is, to a great extent, not national but local. Pdf in the general discourse on the local government system in nigeria, two major influences are notable. Many reasons, ranging from the political to the socioeconomic, have been given for the creation of local government. Hence, it is concluded in this study that one of the best ways of going about the overall development of the nigerian state is to concentrate on the development of its local government segments. The place and role of local government in federal systems konrad. Local government in nigeria were a old as the creation of nigeria itself. Local governments in nigeria relevance and effectiveness in. The scope and future of local government autonomy in nigeria. Local government should do precisely what the word government implies, i. An overview of presidential system at the local government level in nigeria prof.
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. Personnel management functions at the local government level can also be performed in at least two different locations. An overview of presidential system at the local government. Even universally all the higher levels of government happened to sprang from local governments communities but in the long run whittled the very power and primacy of the mother government i. Many reasons, ranging from the political to the socioeconomic. It revealed that lack of adequate technical capacity and constitutional loopholes associated with the creation of the state and local government joint accounts are the key factors affecting efficient financial management. Revenue generation and local government administration in.
Nigeria has made progress since its return to democracy in 1999. It primarily evaluated the roles, powers and challenges of the treasury department of local government in nigeria. Department of public administration ahmadu bello university, kongocampus, zaria kaduna state, nigeria. Historical epochs of local government administration in nigeria. Reform local government system now by jeff nkwocha dear editor, federal government has initiated a number of reforms to position the financial institutions, the police, electoral system and nigeria stock exchange for service delivery. Local government administration in nigeria and the. In nigeria, the nature and structure of transactions or interactions between the three tiers of.
The states could not cover all areas within themselves, as the population is ever growing and so there is occupancy of more land surfaces. The legal structure and role of local government administrative system in kaduna state by james kanyip introduction most nations of the world have local government administrative systems as a tier of their government, although the system may differ and may be appellated differently. Since the inception of the system of local government in nigeria, there had been. The first is the local government service commission. I976 local government reform categorically stated that local government system in nigeria is a tier of government. Local government in the united states refers to governmental jurisdictions below the level of. What was original in this american federal system of government was the feature that citizens were directly represented at not only the regional level of government, but also at the new overarching, general level. Although democratically elected local government is protected by the constitution, and development areas and autonomous communities are created by individual state legislation, elected local government is lacking in.
The topic local government system as an instrument for rural development is to assess the preference of nigeria local government systems in the area of rural development. The 1976 nationwide reforms of the local government system in nigeria apparently provided a panacea for all the structural problems of this level of government. In april 2015, the securities and exchange commission sec introduced new rules containing specific penalties for failing to comply with the notification requirements for mergers, acquisitions, external restructuring and other forms of business combination. A comparative analysis of the local government systems in nigeria. Nigerias creaky political system council on foreign. 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. Nigeria and switzerland, local government has been entrenched. Aug 08, 2015 the legal structure and role of local government administrative system in kaduna state. Things which government at the local level in nigeria does. The country is working toward a more transparent government and many civil society organizations are committed to moving the decentralization process forward. Local government reforms and true federalism nigeria homepage.
Local government has been perceived as a panacea for the diverse problems of the diverse people with diverse culture. In this paper we present a working definition of local government autonomy based on. The state governments in nigeria welds a lot of power over local government chairmen under their state as they have the power to sack such officials at will and are in charge of conducting the local government elections through the state electoral commission. Local government was not only accorded its pride of place in socioeconomic wellbeing of the country, it was also seen as a way of bringing government closer to the people. Instead of working to make the system run, most of the state actors have merely been lamenting. But a political system crippled by corruption and dogged by ethnic tensions threatens to. In view of the above, revenue allocation has remained the most critical policy issue in the local government administration in nigeria. 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. A study of selected local governments in kwara state, nigeria. It is therefore expected to do precisely what the word govern ment implies i. Introduction the politics of local government creation in nigeria is as old as the country itself. In other words, the existence of local government in nigeria were tied willynilly to the apron strings of the precolonial, colonial and post colonial successes or failures nigeria or. Among others, it has the power to appoint, post, promote and discipline local government employees. May 17, 2016 merger of ministries, departments and agencies mdas.
Local government administration in nigeria and the localist. The federal military government has therefore decided to recognise local government as the third tier of government activity in the nation. The paper recommends urgent constitutional reforms to ensure full autonomy of local government to enhance effective service delivery in the grassroots. It is a subordinate government which derives its existence and power from laws enacted by a superior government. Because efforts at direct consolidation have proven futile, u. Local government is not sovereign like independent nationstate. Most nations of the world have local government administrative systems as a tier of their government, although the system may differ and may be appellated differently. Modern local governments in nigeria and ghana evolved during the colonial. Additionally, avoidance of tax by the private sectors and rich individuals raises a fundamental challenge to revenue generation and local government administration in nigeria. Are the relations between politicians and administrators at. The paper examines local government and intergovernmental relations in nigeria. The focus of this paper therefore is an examination of local government finance in nigeria using iwo local government as a case study.
The paper concludes with a treatment of the imperatives for optimizing the effectiveness of local governments in nigeria. In nigeria, several efforts have been made by various. Aug 12, 2011 in 1976, the federal government entered directly and introduced the most pervasive land sweeping reforms. Abstract the aim of the paper is to explore good governance as it is obtained in the local governments in nigeria by examining the performance of the local government which holds the future of. Nigerias creaky political system council on foreign relations. The paper canvassed the need for synergy and collaborative approach to community development and reform initiatives anchored on theory to practice policy inclination. Improving personnel management in the nigerian local government system for national development man chafi shadrach department of public administration. The british did introduce a truncated version of english law as the basic law of nigeria, but they allowed the indigenous peoples to be governed mostly by their own customary laws and interfered little in the daytoday workings of nigerias subunits and communities. The share of government in the economy is unduly large since consolidated government expenditures rose from 29% of gdp in.
Apr 25, 2012 in examining the deficiencies of the local government system in nigeria one of the major issues seem to be a problem of accountability of local governments along with serious capacity issues. Different local government areas were created that paid no respect to history, tradition, culture and community solidarity. Analysis of performance pre and post consolidation of thirteen mega banks in order to consider if there had been improvements. Over the years, local and regional governments have. The local government is the closest tier of government to the people. Uzuegbunam 1 and johnson emeka nwofia 2 1department of public administration and local government, university of nigeria, nsukka, nigeria. Improvement in local government remains a high priority in most countries, but unless the relationship between citizens and government is more fully developed the actions of local government will. Local government system exists in every country with variations in its structures and. Local government, politics, governance and development. In nigeria, this compulsive need to extend the power and presence of government has inevitably compelled the government to accept the need to distribute power and the principle of power sharing in the political system. Local government and fiscal autonomy for local government in. The category excludes dependent public school systems of county, municipal. Full list of local government in nigeria structure. A study of selected local governments in kwara state, nigeria moshood olayinka salahu grassroots development has always been a highly prioritized issue on the agenda of almost every nation of the world.
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