THE ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION IN ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREA.
Abstract
The central aim or focus of this paper is to highlight the role of local
government (being the closest tier of government to the grassroots) in rural
development. The study posits that the Nigerian political arrangement
negates the essence of federalism (which is decentralization) by being
highly centralized. The fiscal practices grossly skewed in favour of the
central government couple with lack of accountability among the governing
elites conjoin to thwart efforts at meaningful development in the third tier of
governance. It concluded that local
governments have not been able to play their constitutional roles, let alone
making attempts at rural development due in the main to the fact that they
have been emasculated by other tiers of government. It suggested the
Integrated Rural Development (IRD) approach in view of its
comprehensiveness for sustainable rural development. The paper strongly
recommended autonomy for local governments. It further canvassed fiscal
and political reforms as avenues for strengthening governance in the
Nigerian local government system.
Introduction
The interrelationship or complementary nature of these two subjects underscore their
relevance and study within the broad discipline of public administration. As Institutions of critical
importance, they are respectively the basic political organization, and the socio-economic activity. In
view of the critical importance therefore, what affects them determine whether or not Nigeria or other
third world nations develop.
Constitutionally, Local government represents the third tier of governmental organization in Nigeria –
the others being the Federal and State governments. Frequently, the term “Grassroots administration”
is employed as this has the additional advantage of graphically describing the location of this
governmental arrangement. In reality, it is not vested with the powers and resources that it deserves.
It is also ironical that the Nigerian situation negates the essence of federalism (which is
decentralization) by being highly centralized.
Elsewhere, where the ideals and strategies for effective development have been understood the correct
way, Local government is the focus of government efforts at promoting development. It becomes
obvious overtime that to effectively develop, the people must be adequately mobilized. A purposeful
combination of the local (peoples) effort/energies with that of government with the objective of
improving socio-economic conditions and encouraging political participation is a key factor in rural
development.
It represents the objective expression of the energies of mobilized rural communities in concrete and
tangible projects such as roads, clinics, schools, potable water and other communal initiatives that
benefit the people.
Conceptual Issues/Clarification
Local Government
Local government (as a body of knowledge and as practice) is encapsulated in a web like all
other sub-discipline in the social sciences. There are divergent views on the subject as there are many
authors.
Local government in the communal sense means people’s political instrument to participate in
resource allocation, distribution and power acquisition. An indepth analysis of this definition
converges with the broad objectives of local government, which are political participation, efficient
Knowledge Review Volume 20 No 2, April, 2010
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service delivery and resource mobilization. Political participation concerns the desire to involve local
citizens in the management of local affairs. Efficient service delivery, which is closely knitted with
the above factor, is to ensure that the basic needs of local citizens are met as speedily and as
efficiently as possible. Resource mobilization is to provide a framework within which local
resources, both human and material, are effectively mobilized. (Adamolekun, 1983:7)
Ezeani (2006:253) posits that “local government is generally seen as a veritable agent of
development and grassroots participation in the democratic process”. Germane to this paper are some
of the issues raised as “reasons for the creation of local government thus: “Local Government
particularly in developing countries is seen as a veritable instrument for rural development.
Consequently, all over the world, local governments have been assigned some functions under the
law” (Ezeani, 2006:258). The extent to which local governments have been able to achieve the
objective of rural development is the focus of this paper.
Other reasons for the creation of local government identified which are crucial to this paper
are ‘to make appropriate services and development activities responsive to local wishes and initiatives
by devolving or delegating them to local representative bodies”. “To sensitize and mobilize the
various communities in their areas of authority in order to get involved in the overall development of
their areas” Ezeani (2006:258). It is highly debatable if local governments in Nigeria have been able
to effectively meet these and other lofty goals of their creation.
Ezeani (2004:1) favours the approach by Adamolekun (2002:49) in discussing local government
within the purview of decentralization. Decentralisation is typologised into “deconcentration”
meaning administrative decentralization or field administration and “devolution” implying democratic
decentralization in which there is substantial autonomy to sub-national units (i.e. local governments)
with powers and responsibilities to perform specific functions given under the law by the central
government. Duru (2001:97) converges with Ezeani (2004) and Adamolekun (2002) on the above
approach and conceptualization of local government as devolution.
Proceeding from the above, Ezeani (2004:6) identified the following characteristics of devolution:
local government must be granted autonomy and independence and be clearly recognized as a tier of
government with little or no direct control by the central government. Local units must have clear and
legally recognized geographical boundaries. Local governments must possess corporate status
including the power to raise sufficient revenue to perform assigned functions. Devolution involves
the need to “develop local governments as institutions”. It also entails reciprocal, mutually benefiting
and coordinate relationships between central and local governments.
An examination of the above characteristics in relation to the practice in Nigeria shows that apart from
local governments having clear and legally recognized boundaries, the Fourth Schedule of 1999
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Page 150 and 151) spells out the functions of local
government. It is a matter of polemics if local governments in Nigeria are raising sufficient revenue
to perform assigned function due to the attractions and limitations in the practice of fiscal federalism
in Nigeria which over the years had made sub national governments heavily dependent on federal
financial handouts, thus relegating and/or out rightly abandoning legal and credible sources of
revenue necessary for effective service delivery to the people at the grassroots
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