Grassroots development is extremely important in any community.
The socio-economic wellbeing of Nigerians has faced series of challenges right
from the creation of Nigeria in 1914 till date. Challenges ranging from poor
infrastructural development to poor human capital development, especially in
the Local Governments areas are constantly posing as obstacles to the progress
of Local Governments.
Nigeria has 774 local government areas (LGAs). 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. Each of the areas is further subdivided into wards with a minimum of ten and a maximum of fifteen
for each area.
The functions of Local Governments are
detailed in the Nigerian Constitution and include:
Ø Economic
recommendations to the State;
Ø Collection of taxes
and fees;
Ø Establishment and
maintenance of cemeteries, burial grounds and homes for the destitute or
infirm;
Ø Licensing of
bicycles, trucks (other than mechanically propelled trucks), canoes, wheel
barrows and carts;
Ø Establishment,
maintenance and regulation of markets, motor parks and public conveniences;
Ø Construction and
maintenance of roads, streets, drains and other public highways, parks, and
open spaces;
Ø Naming of roads and
streets and numbering of houses;
Ø Provision and
maintenance of public transportation and refuse disposal;
Ø Registration of
births, deaths and marriages;
Ø Assessment of
privately owned houses or tenements for the purpose of levying such rates as
may be prescribed by the House of Assembly of a State; and,
Ø Control and
regulation of out-door advertising, movement and keeping of pets of all
descriptions, shops and kiosks, restaurants and other places for sale of food
to the public, and laundries.
A Nigerian Political Analyst, Nwaorga Faustinis Chilee acknowledges in
his article written in October 2012 titled: “Nigeria: Local Government Areas
Underdevelopment And The Need For Autonomy To Fast-Track Development” that one
of the greatest challenges facing almost if not all the 774 local government
areas in Nigeria is the generally perceived, known and alleged illegal
deduction of funds of council areas by state governors. The deduction which is
easily and allegedly facilitated by the present constitutional joint account
maintained by State governments and their local government councils
counterparts is an ill wind that blows no good to the local government areas;
given the retrogressive trend or rather the stagnation of the council areas in
terms of development. Truly, local government is the third tier of the
administrative structure in Nigeria aimed at not only bringing the presence of
government nearer to rural dwellers but also to provide certain social
amenities to the council areas as enshrined in the constitution. Today most
LGAs are mere offshoots of the state government. This was why Allwell Okpi
observed in his report that though local governments constitute the third tier
of government as enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, they have largely operated
as appendages of the state governments; some of them are governed by the
caretaker committees appointed by the state governors. Many observers in some
quarters have argued that the poor or lack of development in most local
government area is due to the interference of the state government or the 2nd
tier of government in the administration of local government councils whereby
the state government starve most LGA of fund which ought to have been used for
development projects. Because of the abysmal, sickening and condemnable
underdevelopment of local government areas, especially ones situated in rural
areas, The Senate President, Bukola Saraki supported bills aimed at granting
financial, political and economic autonomy among others to the 774 local
government areas in Nigeria. In 2012, Hon. Uche Ekwunife sponsored the bill
with the caption an Act to amend Section 7,162, of the 1999 Constitution and
provision of political and financial independence for local government
administration in the country. The second bill entitled a bill for an Act to
Alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
1999 to ensure effective and efficient operations of the local government
councils in Nigeria for social, economic and political development and for
other matters connected, which was sponsored by Mohammed Shamsidin Ango
Abdulahi, tries to amend Section 7, 313 and Sections 162 among others in the
1999 Constitution (amended) and gives political and economic independence to
the all the local councils in Nigeria. The bills did not see the light of the
day before the tenure of that National Assembly expired. Saraki knows how essential these bills are
and he has firmly stood by them in the 8th Senate and the National
Assembly generally. It is important to
commend Saraki and the National Assembly for the bills and its eventual passage
into law will expunge the complaint of stranglehold which state government have
over the joint account. It is the positive view of most analysts, commentators,
observers etc. that it is when this joint account is abolished by amending the
1999 constitution and by creating a separate account for the 774 local for
direct sourcing of fund without the interference of the state government, will
the local government councils heave a great sigh of relief and begin in earnest
to deliver on its statutory responsibility and duty which will invariably bring
rapid development to the rural areas. Anything contrary to this as being suggested
in some quarters that a body should be created, perhaps at the state level to
see to the direct disbursement of federal government allocation which accrues
to the local government areas should be jettisoned, as this amounts to
duplicity and waste of fund. The 36 State House of Assemblies should therefore ensure the passage of the
bills into law without minding whose ox is gored as this will give the council
bosses freedom to use the federal government allocation amongst other funds
available to them to impact positively their various councils
Saraki’s fervent desire
has been for the Local Governments to experience significant development and in
order for this to take place effectively, they must have autonomy. In order to
ensure autonomy for the local governments in Nigeria, the Saraki led Senate
sought to alter section 162 of the 1999 Constitution to abrogate State-LG joint
accounts and empower each LGA to maintain its own “special account into which
all allocations due to the council shall be directly paid from the Federation
Account and from the Government of the State.
Further, the Saraki led
Senate voted to review the constitution to make democratic composition of local
councils statutory. This would mean any local government without elected officials
would not get federal funding. Saraki believes that this will help improve
efficiency and delivery capacity of the local councils.
A lot of Nigerians have commended the Senate President, Bukola
Saraki and the National Assembly for the enormous consideration given to the
bill. One of such people is the Nigerian Labour Congress President, Ayuba
Wabba.
Wabba gave his commendation
at one of his press briefings in Abuja. He said the National Assembly deserved
commendations for voting overwhelmingly in favour of Local Government autonomy
in spite of pressure from vested interest groups.
Wabba expressed optimism that if assented to these amendments will
free-up the local governments from the strangle-hold of state governments and
widen the democratic space as well as restore the lost glory of local
governments.
“The Local Government system of government known by various names,
is the oldest form of administration, and sadly, the most abused and exploited
in our post-colonial history.
“Until progressive decline and bastardisation set in, the Local
Government represented the centre of administrative excellence, clinical
efficiency, training, education, development, tax administration and effective
commodity boards. Local governments also represented maintenance culture
of infrastructure including roads, environmental sanitation, functional health
facilities, low incidences of corruption and violent crimes. The singular
reason for this magical performance was that local governments were close to
the people and ministered to their needs,” he said.
The NLC president called on the governors of the 36 states
“to sheathe partisan or insular considerations and support these amendments in
the national interest.”
By Terfa Naswem