The 1976 local government reform which most scholars described as magna carta of the local government in nigeria introduced uniformity to the local government system in all parts of the federation. Structure and functions of local government in nigeria. The local government system and federalstate legislative competence under the 1999 constitution nigerian education law journal 2003 vol. Apr 12, 2007 nigeria has made progress since its return to democracy in 1999. On the other hand, the local government system in nigeria originated from the formal political institutions that existed in the precolonial era. The new system of local government in nigeriabackground to reform. States, one federal capital territory and 774 local governments. 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 far the local government system in nigeria has not been stable and thus its future remains bleak, uncertain and insecure. In 1950, the british system of local administration was introduced in the north through the endowment of native authority and law. Local government administration in nigeria and the localist. Federal republic of nigeria ignatius akaayar ayua and dakas c. Take a look at a few facts about nigerian presidential system that. Nigeria state and local governance in nigeria english.
You might ask, what are the functions of local government in nigeria. Introduction nigeria is a federation of 36 states, a federal capital territory fct and 774 local government areas. Nigeria has made progress since its return to democracy in 1999. The most authoritative and generally acceptable definition is that provided by the united nations office for public administration. Department of political science nasarawa state university, keffi, nigeria. Nigerias creaky political system council on foreign. Historical epochs of local government administration in nigeria. Retrospecting the local government system in nigeria 1983 1993 erunke, c. An overview of presidential system at the local government. The politics of states and local governments creation 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. Many reasons, ranging from the political to the socioeconomic, have been given for the creation of local government. The reform also tacitly freed the local governments financially from the apron string of the state governments. 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. Nigeria summary nigeria is a federal republic with three tiers of government. The paper concludes with a treatment of the imperatives for optimizing the effectiveness of local governments in nigeria. 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. Most states in nigeria usually operate their local government system as an.
The purpose of this study is to increase knowledge about state capacity in nigeria by taking stock of governance issues, including public financial management and civil services, and analyzing them in representative states across the regions, as states. It was introduced the east in 1955 and west in 1957 with responsibility to serve as a means of rural development in nigeria. The 36 states in nigeria and their local government areas. Model and determinants of statelocal governments relations in. Local government autonomy as an imperative for true. This means that local government has legislative powers just like the federal and state governments. To examine the financial relationship of local government with state and federal government. The system of local government by democratically elected local government councils is under this constitution guaranteed. The preamble to the guidelines for 1976 local government reforms stated that, the state government has continued to encroach upon what would have been the exclusive preserve of local government. The constitutional guarantee of an autonomous local government system in nigeria is a clear indication that grassroots administration in the country. Among others, it has the power to appoint, post, promote and discipline local government employees. The states could not cover all areas within themselves, as the population is ever growing and so there is occupancy of more land surfaces. Personnel management functions at the local government level can also be performed in at least two different locations. A discourse on the theoretical imperatives in a governmental system article pdf available june 2014 with 470 reads how we measure reads.
The presidential system of government in nigeria defines the political organization of this country. The role of nigeria local government in rural development. The constitution guarantees a system of local government run by democratically elected councils. The general objective of this study is to examine local government accounting in nigeria and to analyze the viable financing options currently available to local government councils. Presidential and parliamentary systems are the two universally acclaimed systems of organizing. Nigeria is a federal country with a threetier subnational government system, made of 36. An overview of presidential system at the local government level in nigeria prof. Dakas nigeria, named after the river niger, is situated on the southern coast of west africa. Association of local governments of nigeria there are three spheres of government in nigeria. Within this system, functions are locally and directly executed by. To recommend a fundamental solution towards making local government rural development oriented.
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. Section 7 9 of 1997 constitution provides that legislative powers of local government shall be vested in the local government council. Nigerias fourth republic solomon adebayo adedire department of political science and international relations, landmark university, omu aran, kwara state abstract. Nigerias executive arm is comprised of 3tiers of government. 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. Nigeria is currently made up of 36 states and the federal capital territory and a total of 774 local government areas. Here is the list of all the 36 states in nigeria and abuja and their local government areas. What are the reasons for the creation of local government in nigeria. The evolution of local government in nigeria has followed very closely the precolonial, colonial and neocolonial political development in nigeria. Local government in nigeria commonwealth governance.
The role of local government as an agent of rural development was redefined in 1960 s when the system was recognized as development. 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. But a political system crippled by corruption and dogged by ethnic tensions threatens to derail the. Apr 10, 20 the local government system in nigeria different authors and scholars have given various definition to the term local government if it is viewed from a legalistic point of view, it may be referred as body corporates having perpetual succession with power to save and be saved. The 1976 local government reform fixes the population of a local government not less than 150,000 and not more than 800, 000. Local government and intergovernmental relations in. The new system of local government in nigeriabackground. 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.
The first is the local government service commission. The paper examines local government and intergovernmental relations in nigeria. The version of this system of government in nigeria has its advantages and disadvantages. Local government administration in nigeria and the. Local government administration in nigeria and community. It shares borders with benin to the west, cameroon and chad to the east, and niger to the north.
The exclusive responsibilities of the federal government of nigeria are broadly. Publication date 1997 series niser monograph series. Many reasons, ranging from the political to the socioeconomic. It commenced with the introduction of the native authority system by the british colonial government led by. 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. Functions of local government in nigeria the functions and tasks of the local government are prescribed in the nigerian constitution of 1999. Arguably, the babangida reforms that freed the local. 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.
On the other hand, the united nations office for public. The catalogue of problems remained those of inadequate financial and other resources, frequent transfer of functions to and from local. Full list of local government in nigeria structure. Theories of local government and the nigerian experience. 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 state and local governance in nigeria english abstract. Nigerias higher education system once regarded as the best in subsahara africa is in deep. Representatives of this organization collect taxes, work with telebroadcasting and radio, transport licenses, cemeteries and provides houses for the people in need. Jul 10, 2014 local government as corporate body become modernized in 1976 when local government was recognized as a third tier of government following.
Local governments in nigeria relevance and effectiveness in. Using theoretical analytical method, the paper found that local government system in nigeria has been an unfortunate orphan under the state and federal government. Politics and challenges of the 1999 constitution asaju, k. 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. They include the federal, state and local government. Financial management in nigerian local government system. The paper canvassed the need for synergy and collaborative approach to community development and reform initiatives anchored on theory to practice policy inclination. The precolonial system administered in nigeria was very simple and it varied from place to place. To explain why local governments have been ineffective.
But a political system crippled by corruption and dogged by ethnic tensions threatens to derail the country from its path toward. 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. Local governments in nigeria relevance and effectiveness. According to the structure of this organization, the president is the head of states. To understand the various dimensions of governance capacity at the state and local levels, its imperative to begin by appreciating the changing federal context. Nigerias creaky political system council on foreign relations. Local government and intergovernmental relations in nigerias. 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. Presidential system of government in nigeria facts you. The 1976 local government reform in nigeria made local government as a third tier of government. The focus of this paper therefore is an examination of local government finance in nigeria using iwo local government as a case study. Aba north, aba south, arochukwu, bende, isiala ngwa south, ikwuano, isiala, ngwa north, isukwuato, ukwa west, ukwa east, umuahia, umuahia south. Department of public administration ahmadu bello university, kongocampus, zaria kaduna state, nigeria. Among the notable feature of local government in nigeria is that it operates a unified administrative system and expected to have an elected.
The federal military government has therefore decided to recognise local government as the third tier of government activity in the nation. The economist intelligence unit rated nigeria a hybrid regime in 2019. 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. The relative roles of the three tiers of governmentthe federal. Local government should do precisely what the word government implies, i. 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. The purpose of this study is to increase knowledge about state capacity in nigeria by taking stock of governance issues, including public financial management and civil services, and analyzing them in representative states across the regions, as. Historical epochs of local government administration in.