Against this background, this work examines federal principle and local government autonomy in nigeria to find out what has went wrong. Introduction since the inception of the system of local government in nigeria, there had been persistent clamour for the autonomy of the local government as the third tier of governance in the federation. Second is the confusion caused by the constitution which grants autonomy to local government councils with one hand and withdraws it with the other. Article pdf available september 2017 with 854 reads how we measure reads. Fiscal federalism, which mirrors the amount of fiscal autonomy and responsibility accorded to subnational government, has been an important subject in the policy equation of many developing, transition, and developed countries this paper, therefore, examined the evolution, structure, and practices of fiscal federalism in nigeria. Many reasons, ranging from the political to the socioeconomic, have been given for the creation of local government.
An apparisal of the autonomy of local government as a. Article pdf available in mediterranean journal of social. Constitutional practices of federalism in nigeria have been very difficult and. This study is on nigeria federalism and local government autonomy. Federalism, local government autonomy and the crisis of identity in nigeria. The strengthening of local governments and the operation of. Issues and problems in decentralization and local autonomy in. He said that the characteristics of this federal principle are the division of powers. Autonomy of local government and the place of the 4th tier government community government councils in nigerias vision 20. Department of public administration, federal polytechnic idah, kogi state, nigeria email.
Fiscal federalism and local government finance in nigeria. Nigeria federalism and local government autonomy project topics. The study will give a clear insight on the federal principle and local government autonomy in nigeria. In the nigeria context, this consists of a federal government, 36 states, federal capital territory and 774 local governments. Curiously, the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of nigeria, which accorded local governments a third tier status, also made provision for the state local government joint account system. There are so many problems facing this tier which we shall discuss. An evaluation with abstract, chapter 15, references and questionnaire. This study seeks to provide cursory analysis and assessment of issues in the performance of local government units in the philippines in.
The place and role of local government in federal systems konrad. The politics of local government autonomy in nigeria reloaded felix akpan, phd okonette ekanem department of public administration, university of calabar, nigeria abstract the politics of local government in nigeria reloaded has been inspired by the 20 constitution amendment process initiated by the national assembly. Fda and lga finance statistics of nigeria, 2016 central bank of nigeria data and statisticse. The nigerian local government system in historical perspective, being a paper presented at an international conference on new directions federalism in african. The fiscal arrangement among the different tiers of government in a federal structure is often referred to as fiscal federalism.
Over the years the ideal position and status of the local government as a third tier government have been of constant debates. Section 7 9 of 1997 constitution provides that legislative powers of local government shall be vested in the local government council. The relative roles of the three tiers of governmentthe federal government, the. Sep 03, 2017 to explain if full autonomy is given to nigeria local government system ofu local government will enhance its service delivery. At the theoretical level, it will add to the frontier of knowledge of nigerian federalism and local. Financial autonomy for local governments the sun nigeria. The study will focus on the ofu local government which the study will be benefited.
C wheare, is the method of dividing powers so that the central and regional governments are each, within a sphere, coordinate and independent. Local government and fiscal autonomy for local government in. Nigeria is one of the few countries in africa that adopted a federal system of government, a system that envisages autonomy for every sector of its authorities and. Federalism, constitutionalism, and local government autonomy in nigeria okey marcellus ikeanyibe, phd department of public administration and local government, university of nigeria, nsukka. The process of democratizing local government administration started as far back as 1954. The scope and future of local government autonomy in nigeria. Federal principle and local government autonomy in nigeria.
Federalism in nigeria and local government autonomy. Many reasons, ranging from the political to the socioeconomic. Federalism, constitutionalism, and local government autonomy. Federalism is a political structure that allows states to unite under a central government to maintain a measure of independence and interdependence. They also needed to explain one way nigerias federal structure accommodates different religious groups, as well as one way the federal structure accommodates different ethnic groups in the country. Issues and problems in decentralization and local autonomy. The recent directive by the nigeria financial intelligence unit nfiu barring state governments from tampering with local governments allocations is a welcome development. Federalism is a constitutional mechanism for dividing power between different levels of government so that federated units can enjoy substantial, constitutionally guaranteed autonomy over certain policy areas while sharing power in accordance with agreed rules over other areas. Pdf one of the arguments for the adoption of federalism in nigeria is the desire for economic and political viability and development in a. Therefore, the problem with federalism in nigeria is the mixapplication or nonapplication of this clause especially as it has to do with power distribution awa, 1977. Federalism, constitutionalism, and local government autonomy in nigeria. Federalism, constitutionalism, and local government autonomy in nigeria many studies that have attempted to address the problem of poor performance of local governments in nigeria offer various reasons including the issue of lack of democracy and autonomy. Local government and intergovernmental relations in. Local government and intergovernmental relations in nigerias.
Federalism is the mixed or compound mode of government, combining a general government the central or federal government with regional governments provincial, state, cantonal, territorial or other subunit governments in a single political system. Fiscal federalism, local government, autonomy, finance 1. Nigerian federalism and local government autonomy chapter one introduction 1. This means that local government has legislative powers just like the federal and state governments. Politics and challenges of the 1999 constitution asaju, k. The status of state governments in nigerias federalism oxford. The reason behind is to create supreme authority centrally while the component states retain a considerable amount of semi autonomy. These debates hinge primarily on the autonomy status of the local government. Given the territorially delineated cleavages abounding in nigeria and the historical legacy of divisions among ethnic groups, regions, and sections, the federal imperative was so fundamental that even military governmentscharacteristically unitarian, hierarchical, and centralistattached importance to the continuation of a federal system of government. He said that the characteristics of this federal principle are the division of powers among levels. These are local government and intergovernmental relations.
Local government autonomy as an imperative for true. Students first had to describe federalism in nigeria. To appreciate this section, it is necessary to operationalize the key concept in the discourse autonomy. This gave rise to the thinking that federalism is a process of formation of a particular kind of political union, with at least two autonomous but interdependent levels of governments 6, that form of government where. To explain if full autonomy is given to nigeria local government system ofu local government will enhance its service delivery. Section 71 of the 1999 constitution, for example, provides that. The 1976 local government reform fixes the population of a local government not less than 150,000 and not more than 800, 000.
Many studies that have attempted to address the problem of poor performance of local governments in nigeria offer various reasons including. C wheare, is the method of dividing powers so that the central and regional governments are each, within a sphere, co ordinate and independent. The paper canvassed the need for synergy and collaborative approach to community development and reform initiatives anchored on theory to practice policy inclination. He said that the characteristics of this federal principle are the division of powers among levels of government, a. Nigeria federalism and local government autonomy get. To address the issue of local government autonomy, three bills were sponsored during the previous administration. In a federal system of government, political power is shared. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. There is a correlation between the granting of full autonomy to local government ofu local government and enhanced service delivery. The autonomy of local governments and the place of the 4th. Its distinctive feature, exemplified in the founding example of modern federalism by the united states under the constitution of 1787, is a.
The study will also look at the reason why autonomy is not given to local government. The bills sought to amend section 7, sub section 162, of the 1999 constitution, which borders on political and financial independence for local government administration in the country. Doc federalism and local govt autonomy in nigeria king. Federalism, constitutionalism, and local government autonomy in.
Federalism, local government autonomy and the crisis of. Descriptive survey research design was adopted for this study. Jun 03, 2019 to address the issue of local government autonomy, three bills were sponsored during the previous administration. C where, is the method of dividing powers so that the central and regional governments are each, within a sphere, co ordinate and independent. The quest or agitation for local government autonomy has been a recurring decimal in the evolution of the nigerian federation. Its distinctive feature, exemplified in the founding example of modern federalism by the. Department of public administration ahmadu bello university, kongocampus, zaria kaduna state, nigeria. The role of states and local governments prepared for the nigerian per steering committee by stuti khemani july 24, 2001 introduction 1. Finally, we examine the operation of autonomous local governments. The evolution, development and practice of federalism in. Nigeria can be said to be operating the federal system of government, whereas in actual practice, the country is tending towards a unitary system. The 1976 local government conceptual analysis there are two basic concepts that are central to this research work. Local government fiscal autonomy is derived from the fiscal federalism as is operated in the nigerian federation.
So far the local government system in nigeria has not been stable and thus its future remains bleak, uncertain and insecure. The 1976 local government reform in nigeria made local government as a third tier of government. Local government and fiscal autonomy for local government. The local government is the third tier of government. Local government autonomy as an imperative for true federalism. It was created to bring government closer to the grassroots and give the people a sense of belonging.
Local government administration in nigeria and community. The term federalism is derived from the latin word fidere meaning to trust or to entrust some agreed values to a central entity of a given country 5. Federalism, constitutionalism, and local government. Nigerian federalism and local government autonomy project. Federalism is a constitutional mechanism for dividing power between different levels of government so that federated units can enjoy substantial, constitutionally guaranteed autonomy over certain policy areas while sharing power in accordance with agreed rules over. Curiously, the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of nigeria, which accorded local governments a third tier status, also made provision for the statelocal government joint account system. What are the reasons for the creation of local government in nigeria. The local government system and federalstate legislative competence under the 1999 constitution nigerian education law journal 2003 vol. Description nigerian federalism and local government autonomy 8 pages chapter one. But the opposite is the case with nigeria federalism. Pending when nigeria decides whether to operate a twotier or a multitier federal system of government or to embrace full blown federalism as against the quasi unitary federalism it currently operates, local government system in nigeria will continue to suffer a crisis of identity. Pdf federalism, constitutionalism, and local government. The local government service commission has been empowered to handle staff matters.
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