The challenges and prospect of local government autonomy: A review from policy perspective

Abstract

The State Joint Local Government Account has not been efficient and effective in the governance of local government, couple with inadequate funding, insufficiency of staffing arrangements, inappropriate institutions and excessive politicking as well as the problem of disconnect between the people and the government at the local level in Nigeria. Literature were sourced, collected and analyzed the qualitative results. Consequently, findings from the study indicated that states governments exploited the ambiguities contained in the provision of the 1979 constitution they relegated the aspects of the provision that abandoned the aspect of the 1976 local governments’ reform and review that displeased and accepted those that were merely convenient, these provisions connotes that local government cannot exercise the statutory functions given to it, it include the schedule 4 (1) unless the state House of Assembly passed a law to that effect, the provisions of the 1999 constitution which declined the autonomy.
The prospects comprises of granted the LGAs full self-rule, the remarkable land mark decision delivered by the Supreme Court in the year 2024. The study recommended for constitutional provision to mandate governors to ensure the finances of the local governments are paid into their accounts devoid of inferences of any kind, abolish the State and Local Governments Joint Account, the institutionalization of direct disbursement to the accounts of the local governments and avert unnecessary interference from the state governments.