Assessing Local Government Administration as an Instrument of Grassroots Development in Nigeria
Chapter One
OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The main objective of this study is the assessment of local government administration as an instrument of grassroots development, but to aid the successful completion of the study, the researcher intends to achieve the following sub-objectives:
- To assess the efficacy of local government administration in delivering the dividend of democracy at the grassroots level
- To ascertain the role of local government in the provision of social amenities at the grassroots level.
- To investigate if there is any relationship between local government administration and grassroots development
- To proffer suggested solution to the identified problem
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
Local government has historically provided services of importance to its citizens in rural and urban areas of Nigeria. These includes, provision of basic amenities like pipe borne water, roads, health facilities and education but of late, the role of local government in providing these services became questionable and attracted public concerns. Furthermore, it has generated national crisis as a result of increasing rate of poverty among rural people. Some critics viewed the situation at the back drop of poor budgeting, and implementation, while others sees it as federal and state government interference. Political scientists, politicians and the administrators overtime have been preoccupied with the question of the justification, the appropriate status and functional roles of the grassroots government. Some simply dismissed the matter and postulated that there was no need for government at the grassroots since most of the perceived needs of the local people can be provided by the central and provincial government who are comparatively more endowed with requisite resources. This trend of argument among divergent schools of thought produced an exciting scholastic work, which this chapter is designed to outline. On this background, attempt has been made in the ensuring analysis to discuss the concept of Local Government and justification. Why Local Government reforms, backgrounds of Local Governments, factors militating against the performance of Local Government and problems of participation and involvement. In line with the subject matter of this thesis, intellectual opinions on the conceptual nature of development, rural development and theoretical underpinning of Holistic Integrationist
CONCEPTS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
The study of the administration and political institution of Local Government has continued to generate a lot of comments from various scholars and researchers. This is because of the fact that it occupies a very important position in national transformation effort towards accelerated growths and development. However, there is a reasonable degree of divergent ideas among most writers on the meaning of Local Government, although few definitions exist, this is to a large extent a function of the differing socio-economic and political development of local government by most writers. Some writers defined Local Government as “Local administration set up outside the main focus of the central national or regional administration”. The implication of this definition is that there is a glaring absence of legal personality, i.e. ability to sue and be sued, which is the major characteristic of Local Government. According to the United Nation (UN) office for Public Administration, Local Government is a political subdivision of a nation (or in Federal system or State) which Constitute by law and has substantial control over local affairs including the power to impose tax or exert labour for prescribed purposes, the governing body such as an entity is selected or otherwise locally elected. The above definition is akin to the one given by Robson who sees Local Government as, “A territorial non sovereign community possessing the legal right and the necessary organization to regulate its own affairs”. Looking at it from the Nigeria context, the guideline for 1976 Local Government reforms suggested a definition of Local Government thus, government at the local level which exercised specific powers within defined areas. Viewing the above definitions, Local Government can be seen as the lowest tier of government, established by laws and assigned specific responsibilities. The above definitions however contained four institutional features of Local Government and they are. First, the Local Government unit must have a legal personality i.e. like the public corporation; it can sue and be sued. Second, it must have specified powers to perform a range of functions. Third, it must enjoy substantial autonomy, especially in financial and staff matters subject to limited control from the central government; and Finally, it must have elected representatives along party line or ideological orientation Owing to the indispensable position of local government to the grassroots it will be imperative to touch on some salient aspect necessary in course of this study. The study x-rays such aspects like structure, resources and functions of the local government to the rural dwellers. As well as its central – local government relations. 20 It has been observed that the local government cannot be given a straight jacket definition or one-for-all type of definition. Golding, L. (1977) defines it as the management of their own affairs by the people of the locality. Eme Awa sees it as a political authority for the purpose of dispersing or decentralizing political powers.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
This chapter deals with the method used in collecting data required in carrying out this research work it explains the procedures that were followed and the instrument used in collecting data.
Sources of data collection
Data were collected from two main sources namely:
(i)Primary source and
(ii)Secondary source
Primary source:
These are materials of statistical investigation which were collected by the research for a particular purpose. They can be obtained through a survey, observation questionnaire or as experiment, the researcher has adopted the questionnaire method for this study.
Secondary source:
These are data from textbook Journal handset etc. they arise as byproducts of the same other purposes. Example administration, various other unpublished works and write ups were also used.
Population of the study
Population of a study is a group of persons or aggregate items, things the researcher is interested in getting information for the study assessing local government administration as an instrument of grassroots development in Nigeria. The researcher randomly select 200 staff of selected local government as the population of the study.
CHAPTER FOUR
PRESENTATION ANALYSIS INTERPRETATION OF DATA
Introduction
Efforts will be made at this stage to present, analyze and interpret the data collected during the field survey. This presentation will be based on the responses from the completed questionnaires. The result of this exercise will be summarized in tabular forms for easy references and analysis. It will also show answers to questions relating to the research questions for this research study. The researcher employed simple percentage in the analysis.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
Introduction
It is important to ascertain that the objective of this study was on assessing local government administration as an instrument of grassroots development in Nigeria.
In the preceding chapter, the relevant data collected for this study were presented, critically analyzed and appropriate interpretation given. In this chapter, certain recommendations made which in the opinion of the researcher will be of benefits in addressing the challenges local government administration.
Summary
The impact of local government administration in economic development in Nigeria has taken a focal point in modern day research; governments in all societies have launched various programs and projects aimed at social development. However, the extent of economic development varies from state to state. In other hand, the level of development of a society in a measure of the degree of presence or absence of certain infrastructures which could either positively impact or negatively affects the social, political, cultural and economic life of the rural dwellers. It is imperative to note that the provision of social amenities and other facilities are skewed in favour of the urban areas to the detriment of the rural sector/area were majority of the population live. However, Nsukka local Government Areas had not succeeded in the performance of this role as the areas during the period covered witnessed, abject rural poverty, high rate of rural unemployment, decay and inadequate infrastructural facilities in the areas of rural electrification feeder roads portable water, farm/business inputs, health care services, mobilizing community participation and ineffective capital funding towards financial, economic and executive autonomy to preferred a wide a range of functions at the grassroots level.
Conclusion
Nigeria, like other third world countries has adopted various strategies aimed at challenging or containing various obstacle to development. But regrettably the application of the bourgeois oriented prescriptions which are deeply rooted in capitalist mode of production, have rather aggravated and deepened the problem of grass-roots development. This is because they intend to create what Francois Perroux and Manuel Correia de Andrado called “poles of development” that is the existence of dual economy with areas existing alongside subsistence. Given this fact that the condition of marginalized people who suffers from low levels of education, poverty, unemployment, and lack of nourishment still exist in Nigeria, therefore this chapter seek to critically evaluate policies and strategies of rural development in Nigeria from 1976 to date. The researcher who focused on local government and grassroots development discovered that this ugly scenario still continued even up till date and appeal for reforms to change statusquo.
Recommendation
The study recommended that the factors militating against the ability of local government authorities in Nigeria which are primarily human factors should be arrested if the state and federal governments introduce more financial discipline into the local government system to curb the endemic problem of corruption. This can only be achieved by introducing effective and stringent measures to check financial and administrative irresponsibility on the part of both the elected and permanent officials of the local government system. In addition, the imposition of imprisonment with no option of fines on any erring members of the local government should be introduced for those convicted of corruption.
Reference
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