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. States, one federal capital territory and 774 local governments. Full list of local government in nigeria structure. The 1976 local government reforms defined local government thus. D department of political science, benue state university, makurdi abstract the paper examines rural or community development in nigeria with emphasis on the institutions, agencies, policies and strategies employed to bring about the much needed. The need for the establishment of local government in nigeria came out of the quest to deliver certain basic services that are instrumental for survival of the people at the grassroots level. The local governments as the third tier of government. Local government advisory committee lgac congressional and. To understand the various dimensions of governance capacity at the. The states of nigeria as well as all urban agglomerations with a population of 300,000 or more. Essentially, contentious issues regarding corrupt practices, most especially as they pertain to public accountability at the grassroots were critically explored. Local government and its relationship with the other tiers of government introduction the 1999 constitution of nigeria provides what may be regarded as basic and rather comprehensive legal framework for true federalism. The paper canvassed the need for synergy and collaborative approach to community development and reform initiatives anchored on theory to practice policy inclination.
Department of political science, obafemi awolowo university, ileife. Nigeria and switzerland, local government has been entrenched. 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. Reflections on the national economic empowerment and development strategy needs 20032007 article pdf available may 2009 with 39,040 reads how we measure. 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. The findings revealed that in most of the world, local governments are seen as catalyst for rural development but in nigeria, local. You might ask, what are the functions of local government in nigeria. There are 768 local governments, and a further six area councils in the fct, totalling 774.
Local government administration in nigeria and the localist. The thrust of this paper therefore is to examine the pattern of rural and community development in nigeria, especially in those areas which have the greatest impact on the lives of. The current attention on local government administration in nigeria is a result of sensitive position it occupies in grass root development, and also as a tool for national integration in a diverse and multi ethnic country like nigeria. 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.
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. Indeed the guideline for local government reform in nigeria. List of local government offices providers in abuja vconnect. So to speak, the local government is the closest structure to the people since it has to do with the grassroots. The 36 states in nigeria and their local government areas. The relative roles of the three tiers of governmentthe federal. 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. Politics and challenges of the 1999 constitution asaju, k. Political leadership and corruption in nigeria since 1960. Constitutional development in nigeria from 1914 till date. The local government is the third tier of the administrative structure in nigeria. The research also observed that the nigerian political system is a federal republic.
Nigeria summary nigeria is a federal republic with three tiers of government. Llaw senior lecturer head of public administration department. We have the pre colonial experiences culminating in different traditional political system. There were local government elections in 1996, 1997 and 1998 but all proved problematic. Local government in nigeria forms the third tier of government coming after the federal and state governments. Within this system, functions are locally and directly executed by. Abstract the paper examines the extent to which democratic values and practices. Nigeria is a federal country with a threetier subnational government system, made of 36. The development of democratic local government in nigeria. Local government administration in nigeria and the.
Each local government area is administered by a local government council consisting of a chairman who is. The 1976 local government reforms in nigeria in its guidelines defined local government as. Project muse theory, principle and practice of local. A development oriented local government system is expected to be a vehicle for the provision of goods and services, which are necessary prerequisites for meaningful grassroots development. Known for its agricultural and arts craft products, the area forms one of the most peaceful locations in the west african state of nigeria. Local government in nigeria was established by law in 1976 with a view to serve as local authority with the constitutional powers to work independently of any external influence, be it the state or the federal government. These local governments do not have a lot of rights and most of its decisions are made according to the central governments rules. Dec 24, 2015 here is the list of all the 36 states in nigeria and abuja and their local government areas. The 3 tiers of government are not complete without mentioning local government in nigeria and theres a strong relationship between these arms of government. Zever abstract the focus of the paper is on autonomy induced governance problems of local government. It operates the presidential system of government with three distinct but complementary arms namely the executive, the legislature and the judiciary, each acting as a check on. The functions of local governments, as spelt out in the constitution, are as follows. Model and determinants of statelocal governments relations in.
We are wondering why the third tier of the government should be subsumed into the second tier of government which is the state. Pdf local government and good governance administration. It commenced with the introduction of the native authority system by the british colonial government led by lord lugard in 1914. It started from the precolonial era 1945 of administration where the kings, chiefs and elders held sway over the governance of their respective domains. Typologies of local government systems springerlink. A former british colony, nigeria became independent on september 30, 1960 and a republic on october 1, 1963. Etinan is located within the south south part of nigeria and constitutes one of the local government areas in the oil rich akwa ibom state. Introduction nigeria is a federation of 36 states, a federal capital territory fct and 774 local government areas. Nigeria politics and government 1960bibliographic information. Historical epochs of local government administration in nigeria women and the poor. Aba north, aba south, arochukwu, bende, isiala ngwa south, ikwuano, isiala, ngwa north, isukwuato, ukwa west, ukwa east, umuahia, umuahia south. The constitutional development in nigeria from 1914 till date can be divided into two generation. The states of nigeria as well as all cities with a population of 40,000 or more. Out of the 400 copies of questionnaire administered, 387.
State, local government, politics, amalgamation, military, federal character, federalism, government. Local government administration in nigeria and the localist theory. Local administration in nigeria has passed the four distinct stages of development. What are the reasons for the creation of local government in nigeria. Each local government area is administered by a local government council consisting of a chairman who is the chief executive of the lga, and other elected members who are referred to as councillors. 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. Stanford libraries official online search tool for books, media, journals, databases, government documents and more. Brief history of local government in nigeria legit. Nigeria, july 2008 2 of slaves flowed north across the sahara for a millennium, ending only at the beginning of the twentieth century. The structure of nigerian government and politics 1999 and 2007 abstract this project research work describes and analyses the structure of nigerian government and politics between 1999 and 2007 in other to improve the understanding of the operation of government and politics in nigeria. Search more about local government offices at vconnect. Legal framework one of the significant outcomes of nigerias participation in. The arms of government in nigeria operate at every level starting from the top level federal government level to the last level local government level of the government.
The politics of states and local governments creation in. Many reasons, ranging from the political to the socioeconomic, have been given for the creation of local government. Thus, the subsequent local government decree of 1989, 1990 and 1992 have all intended to operationalize the third tier status of local government in nigeria, therefore, granting it a high degree of autonomy as well as increase in their revenue allocation. The current number of local government in nigeria is 774.
Historical epochs of local government administration in. The extension of presidentialism and the principle of separation of power to local government helped to. A case study of emohua local government area of rivers state 20012012 akujuru, chukwunonye abovu b. Afolabi department of political science, obafemi awolowo university, ileife. Library of congress federal research division country profile. Aug 06, 2018 problems and prospect of local government administration in nigeria in nigeria, local government is the third tier of the administrative structure, following the federal and the state 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. Local government administration in nigeria problems and. The paper assessed the performance of local government councils in nigeria, using the yardsticks of the rationale behind their creation and existing theories of local government. They were first held in 1987 during the babangida administration. So far the local government system in nigeria has not been stable and thus its future remains bleak, uncertain and insecure. Although democratically elected local government is. 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. Here is the list of all the 36 states in nigeria and abuja and their local government areas. Department of public administration ahmadu bello university, kongocampus, zaria kaduna state, nigeria. The study seeks to examine local government, good governance and sustainable development in nigeria. A case study of emohua local government area of rivers state 20012012.
Like the united states, brazil and india, nigeria as a federation, a colonial heritage necessitated by her multiculturality has 36 states, a federal capital territory abuja and a 774 local government area structure and adopted the united states presidential system since 1979 which replaced the british parliamentary system of government. Local government definition of local government by the. The focus of this paper therefore is an examination of local government finance in nigeria using iwo local government as a case study. The federal republic of nigeria which gained independence in 1960, after a long period of colonialism by the british government, has a remarkable constitutional development. The introduction of uniform local government service for all members of staff within all local government within the state, etc. Find list of best local government offices in abuja with their name, address, contact phone number and other information on vconnect. What this paper sets out to examine is the changing nature of local government system in nigeria right from the days of native authority s system to the present democratic one and their impacts on women and the poor.
Examining environmental policies and laws in nigeria. The place and role of local government in federal systems konrad. The paper concludes with a treatment of the imperatives for optimizing the effectiveness of local governments in nigeria. Publication date 1997 series niser monograph series.
He blamed shortage of trainedstaff in local government on politicization of recruitment, selection and placement. 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. 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. There is thus, the need to grant local government areas full autonomy as well as increase its funding as it would help to enhance grass root participation in the development of nigeria. Local government systems are usually perceived as independent variables when considering possible differences in recruitment patterns, professionalisation, the position of mayors in local and multilevel governance arrangements or horizontal and vertical policy networks, the interpretation or notion of democracy, problem definition as well as attitudes. A sample of 400 respondents from 14 wards of emohua local government area in rivers state was studied. Using theoretical analytical method, the paper found that local government system in nigeria has been an unfortunate orphan under the state and federal government. A total of three hundred 300 goats were screened for brucella melitensis and b. 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. Journal of nigeria studies volume 1, number 2, fall 2012 political leadership and corruption in nigeria since 1960. Local government elections in the country had been on nonparty basis. Local government administration in nigeria and community. He blamed shortage of trainedstaff in local government on.
Local government and rural development in nigeria project. Their abilities are usually very restricted by the central government. The system of local government by democratically elected local government councils is under this constitution guaranteed. There are 774 local government areas lgas in the country. The population of the states and local government areas lgas of nigeria. To clarify the concept of local government more, it is expedient to give a brief historical perspective of the evolution of local government system in nigeria. Problems and prospect of local government administration in nigeria in nigeria, local government is the third tier of the administrative structure, following the federal and the state government. Therefore, the problem of governance, particularly at the local level, has been in a doldrums in the political history of nigeria. The study found that state and local government have and become an avenue for obtaining more allocations from the federal government. Development will be insignificant in such a political system if the government does not positively affect the life of the people of the grassroots or if development eludes the grassroots dwellers. Most states in nigeria usually operate their local government system. The first independent government was formed by a coalition of northern and eastern political parties, with nnamdi azikiwe as the president and abubakar tafawa balewa as prime minister.
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