LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTONOMY AS AN INSTRUMENT FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

State government encroachment into local government affairs and their total control of the local council’s financial allocation and appointed committees who are loyalist to the State Governors has thus triggered the agitation for local government financial autonomy aimed at reversing such encroachment given the immense role that can be played in grassroots politics by the local government. This study therefore ascertains local government autonomy as an instrument for national development in Nigeria. Consequently, the Supreme Court of Nigeria on July 2024, made some far-reaching decisions to reposition local government administration in the country. These include; the declaration of the appointment of caretaker committees illegal to replace elected local government executives; ensuring democratic governance at the local government level in the 36 states of the federation; monthly disbursement of federal allocations to the local governments directly to them by the federation account; as well as the restraining of the state governors from collecting funds belonging to the local government councils when no democratically elected local government councils are in place. The study concluded that autonomy for local government in Nigeria remains very critical for effective local government system which will help to ensure national development at the local level. Events and evidences show that the continued control, suffocation and strangulation of local government administration by the state governments have hampered the performance of the local government in Nigeria. The study recommended among others that in supporting the pronouncement by the Supreme Court of Nigeria of ensuring democratic governance at the local government level in the 36 states of the federation, there should equally be implementation of Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 across all the States of the Federation.