Let’s make our local governments work

The Local Government is the government at the grassroots level, saddled with the responsibility of providing immediate services and promoting participation of people in rural areas in local governance. The 1976 Local Government Reform Guidelines provides a comprehensive definition of local government in Nigeria as “the government at the local level exercise through representative council, established by law to exercise specific powers within defined areas. These powers should give the council substantial control over local affairs. This should cover staff, institutional and financial powers to initiate and direct the provision of services. Furthermore, it should also determine and implement projects so as to complement the activities of the State and Federal Governments in their areas. All these ensure that through devolution of functions to councils, active participation of the people and their response to local needs or conditions are maximized”. The 1979, 1989, and as well the section 7(1) of the 1999 Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended make the local government a real tier of government like the Federal and State. However, this is only in theory.

In reality, local government in Nigeria is just an agent of the state government and often exploited by the state governors. In the area of political participation, the local communities are deprived of their constitutional right to elect the council members as the imposition of councillors and chairmen have become the other of the day.

In the area of staffing, local government is confronted with two glaring issues namely; the issue of unqualified staff and issue of remuneration. In Nigeria, local government can only employs staff at the Junior Cadre (i.e from grade level 01 to grade level 06) to provide the technical and administrative services needed at the local government. In essence, they can only support the senior staff where necessary. The staff at the Senior Cadre are the staff of the Local Government Service Commission.

Although, President Muhammadu Buhari, upon assuming office made several declarations on the improvement of local governments, yet not much has changed. I urge those in authourity to do something about it. Local government in Nigeria, like many other local governments in developed countries if managed well can serve as a nexus for attaining sustainable economic growth and human capital development in the country.