Uniformity in Local Government System and the Governance Model in Nigeria

2016 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 147-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Okey Marcellus Ikeanyibe
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
State Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Local Networks ◽  
Governance Model

This paper examines the conceptual contradiction between a nationally uniform local government system as constitutionally provided in Nigeria, and, the principles of governance model that is presently believed to advance the course of service delivery in government. The paper argues that the straitjacketed constitutional provisions that require every state government to establish a patterned, uniform local government system, is conflict-generating, opposed to effective management and harnessing of local differences in a highly differentiated country like Nigeria, and averse to the multi-jurisdictional principle advocated by the proponents of the governance model. The focus of the paper therefore, is to investigate the extent the prescribed uniform system of local government hinders the application of the governance model that could advance the course of service delivery at the local level. The author suggests that contrary to the constitutional provisions on the nature of local government, which autonomy is not strongly protected by the constitution, the state governments should be allowed to determine the nature and structure of local governments in their domain to reduce the abuse of the local government system and entrench competitive local government practice. This will advance the greater use of local networks in local governance.

scholarly journals A Micro-Political Analysis of Local Governance in Nigeria: The Case of Irepodun Local Government Authority

2021 ◽  
pp. 119-141
Author(s):  
Olawale Olufemi Akinrinde ◽  
Ademola Mubarak Adebisi
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Wealth Creation ◽  
Political Analysis ◽  
Local Government Authority ◽  
Government Authority

The study examined local government autonomy and local government service delivery in Nigeria. the study discovered that, Nigerian local government needs to be autonomous in the discharge of its statutory responsibility, if ongoing agitation for local government autonomy from different quarters in Nigeria is given an approval, this will strengthen local government’s service delivery. The study discovered that some states in Nigeria oppose local government autonomy due to political and economic considerations. The study further revealed that Irepodun local government (the micro-case study) in Nigeria is not totally autonomous. Although, local governance is transparent and accountable in Irepodun Local Government, especially in the identification, formulation and execution of its projects, Irepodun local government authority has a huge financial challenge in carrying out service delivery. The study therefore recommends that; the state joint local government account should be abolished from the Nigerian constitution to enable allocation of funds directly to the local governments from Federation account. they should also put a stop to the persistence deduction from the monthly allocation of local governments. Again, states should henceforth be made to remit regularly the constitutional 10% of their internally generated revenue to the local government authorities. Irepodun local government and other local government authorities in Nigeria emplace more efforts on sustainable wealth creation rather than depending solely on the grants from the federal and state governments.

Local Government as a Democracy Actor or a Service Delivery Actor

2014 ◽  
pp. 127-147 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Demediuk ◽  
Stephen Burgess ◽  
Rolf Solli
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Governance Practice

Local governance occurs where a local government gives citizens a say in things that really matter to them, and e-governance initiatives provide electronic means to enable citizens to participate in this shared governing of the community. The clearer a local government is about the nature and degree to which it needs to act as a democracy actor (better citizens and better government) and/or a service delivery actor (better decision making), the greater the prospect that it can choose appropriate electronic means through an e-governance approach to meet those ends. In order to guide an e-governance practice and inform further research, this chapter: provides models that articulate the elements that constitute better decision making, better citizens, and better government, and presents examples from five local governments of how electronic means can satisfy particular ends.

scholarly journals Financial Autonomy as an Aid to Rural Development: A Study of Isoko North Local Government Area of Delta State

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 63-72
Author(s):  
Egware O.N. ◽  
Akporien O.F. ◽  
Otuya S.
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Rural Development ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Survey Research ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Government Area ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Financial Autonomy ◽  
Effective Administration

Lack of financial autonomy and undue interference by state governments have been identified as some of the impediments to effective administration of local governments in Nigeria. To this end, this study was carried out to examine the effect of financial autonomy on rural development using Isoko North Local Government Area as a case study. The study adopted a survey research design; hence, data were collected through the use of questionnaires administered to the management and staff of selected departments in Isoko North Local Government Council. The findings of the study indicate that financial autonomy will contribute positively to rural development and service delivery in the area of study, and recommends that local governments should be made financially autonomous to promote rural development and enhance better service delivery.

scholarly journals Local Government Response to COVID-19: Revitalizing Local Democracy in Bangladesh

2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 701-712
Author(s):  
A.N.M. Zakir Hossain
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Public Engagement ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Health Sector ◽  
Policy Formulation ◽  
Survey Method ◽  
Local Democracy ◽  
Google Docs

The study aims to identify the role of local government and its transformation in response to the COVID-19. It also shows how local governments extended the scope of accountability and transparency to strengthen democracy. The study followed the social survey method and collected data online through Google Docs form. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistics to generate expected results and test the hypothesis by the Spearman correlation coefficient. The study found local governments were positive during COVID-19 to provide services and offered more public engagement in policy formulation, thus more democratic. The health sector has shown the highest priority, with food and environmental services. Inefficient management capacity of leaders and apathy in public engagement hamper resource mobilization at the local level. During COVID-19, ICT intervention and innovation for digital transformation in local governance increased accountability and transparency through easy and effective participation of mass people to strengthen local democracy to respond effectively against COVID-19.

scholarly journals Social Service Delivery in Southwestern Nigeria: Local Governments Perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 294
Author(s):  
Odewale, Ayotunde David ◽  
Badejo, B. T
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
State Government ◽  
Social Service ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Southwestern Nigeria ◽  
Social Service Delivery ◽  
The Impact

This paper assesses the impact of local government on social service delivery in south-western Nigeria in tandem with their full constitutional responsibility particularly on primary education and road constructions. The related concepts were review. The study utilized both primary and secondary data. Primary data were collected through questionnaire administration and in-depth interviews. The study revealed that local government has a significant impact on social service delivery in Southwestern Nigeria (r = 0.438, p < 0.05). The paper highlighted some recommendations and concluded that local government had performed considerably well in delivery of social service to the populace in their concurrent responsibility with the state government, but relatively low in their mandatory functions.

scholarly journals Problems and Prospects of Local Judicial Committee in Nepal

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 124-141
Author(s):  
Krishna Prasad Timilsina
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Analysis Method ◽  
The Rule Of Law ◽  
Local Leadership ◽  
Judicial Practice ◽  
Content Analysis Method

Decentralization and local governance is the base of grassroot democracy, giving strong foundation of democracy at nation. Local governments are the closest unit of people. Constitution of Nepal acknowledges that executive legislative and judicial bodies may be formed at the local level. Constitution provides to consolidate socialism-oriented federal democratic republic governance right from the local level as per the principle of the rule of law and sustainable development through proportionally inclusive and just distribution of the fruits of democracy, and to make necessary provisions in relation to the operation of the local government to institutionalize the legislative, executive and judicial practice at the local level by consolidating local government through development of local leadership. This article aims at examining current provision of judicial power in local government of Nepal, its service delivery status, analyzing challenges of justice delivery. To draw the conclusion in this study descriptive analytical and content analysis method has been used and information has been taken from secondary method.

scholarly journals Transformation from Below in Bangladesh: Decentralization, local governance, and systemic change

2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 1668-1694 ◽  
Author(s):  
JEAN-PAUL FAGUET
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Transformative Change ◽  
Development Indicators ◽  
Governmental Organizations ◽  
Joint Product ◽  
Non Governmental Organizations ◽  
Government Responsiveness

AbstractI examine decentralization through the lens of the local dynamics it unleashed in Bangladesh. I argue that the national effects of decentralization are largely the sum of its local-level effects. Hence, to understand decentralization, we must first understand how local government works. This implies analysing not only decentralization, but also democracy, from the bottom up. I present a model of local government responsiveness as the product of political openness and substantive competition. The quality of politics, in turn, emerges endogenously as a joint product of the lobbying and political engagement of local firms/interests, and the organizational density and ability of civil society. I then test these ideas using qualitative data from Bangladesh. The evidence shows that civic organizations worked with non-governmental organizations and local governments to effect transformative change from the grass roots upwards—not just to public budgets and outputs, but to the underlying behaviours and ideas that underpin social development. In the aggregate, these effects were powerful. The result, key development indicators show, is Bangladesh leap-frogging past much wealthier India between 1990 and 2015.

The Emergence of Local Government Policy Leadership

2017 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 275-284 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert F. Blair ◽  
Anthony M. Starke
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
State Government ◽  
Government Policy ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Intergovernmental Relations ◽  
National Government ◽  
State Governments ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
State And Local ◽  
Local Government Policy

State and local governments traditionally exerted leadership in policy areas that directly affected their communities and citizens. The leadership of cities, however, has expanded into a number of policy areas where the states and the national government have reduced their policy footprint. This article summarizes research on local policy leadership, examines it within the context of historical state–local intergovernmental relations, and reviews three expanding policy areas. As creatures of state government, localities are subject to legislative restrictions; however, recent research reveals a significant upsurge of state governments preempting policy actions of local governments. Therefore, it can be concluded that the flame of local government policy leadership burns brightly now, but forces appear to be gathering that may cause it to flicker.

scholarly journals Improving Citizens’ Participation in Local Government Planning and Financial Management in Ghana: A Stakeholder Analysis of the Sefwi Wiawso Municipal Assembly

2013 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 191 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Ahenkan ◽  
Bawole N J ◽  
Domfeh K A
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Poverty Reduction ◽  
Local Governance ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Stakeholder Analysis ◽  
National Development ◽  
Local Communities ◽  
Municipal Assembly

Ghana‘s decentralization concept was initiated to promote popular grassroots participation in the management and administration of local governance institutions for improved conditions of life. This is believed to be an important means to improving the effectiveness of service delivery and empower the local people to participate in the development processes that affect their lives. Despite this important role of local communities and stakeholders in the local governance processes, their involvement in decision making on planning, budgeting and financial management of local government agencies is only marginal. This low level of participation is one of the most structural challenges confronting Ghana‘s decentralisation process and local government financial management. Using Stakeholder Analysis, this paper examines the role and level of participation of stakeholders in planning, budgeting and financial management of the Sefwi Wiawso Municipal Assembly. The results of the study indicate that, there has been very little space for local participation and that most of the stakeholders lack proper understanding of the planning, budgeting and the financial management systems of the district assemblies. This lack of space for stakeholder participation has constrained the promotion of effective, responsive and responsible government at the local level for poverty reduction. Procedures and structures for community engagement in the monitoring and evaluation of development interventions seldom exist. The paper argues that an effective engagement of local communities and other stakeholders will enhance transparency and improve upon service delivery within the local government systems. A conscious effort to build capacities and create space for local engagement will enhance the efforts of decentralisation and fast track poverty reduction and national development in Ghana

scholarly journals The State of Local Government and Service Delivery in Nigeria: Challenges and Prospects

2012 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 84
Author(s):  
Aderonke Majekodunmi
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Social Services ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Local Level ◽  
The People ◽  
The Social ◽  
Grassroots Level ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Effective Service

Local government creates an appropriate and conduciveenvironment for the people at the local level through efficient and effective service delivery. The value of localgovernment in a country is inestimable because it is an indispensable arm of government. As a result, the link between the qualities of service that citizens enjoy is very significant. The article examines local government and effective service delivery with special reference to Nigerianlocal governments. It notes that Local government is the closest government<br />to the people at the grassroots level,so it is expected to play significant  roles in providing the social services for the people in order to improve their standard of living. But in Nigeria, the impact of local government is so far limited, especially with regard to improving service delivery. The article observes that  despite the strategic importance of local government to the development process through effective service delivery, there has not been much development in most local governments in Nigeria. The article recommends that  local governments in Nigeria need adequate autonomy that can facilitate their operations and development of the localities through effective service delivery.

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