LOCAL GOVERNMENT IS KEY IN CITIZEN’S LIFE

Local government is a gamble that can have disastrous consequences when it fails (Joy Reid)

I recently wrote an article about a nation’s development being underpinned by healthy and well-educated people. In Nigeria, our local government areas are the closest government to people, especially at the grassroots, and they are responsible for delivering essential services to meet the needs of communities. Local governments have constitutional responsibility in primary education and primary health care, as stipulated in the concurrent legislative list of the 1999 constitution.

All around the world, education and health are the cornerstone of a nation's system and are the foundation for a country’s development. In Nigeria, the administration and funding of education and health involve the three tiers of government (local, state, and federal), with the local governments expected to play a critical role at the primary level and provide the foundation upon which secondary and tertiary education and healthcare are built. Despite these significant responsibilities, local governments face persistent challenges that undermine their effectiveness. The failure of the local governments is adding to the hardship that the majority of citizens face.

I once visited a relative who worked at a local government in a rural area. On the first day of my visit, the local government office was deserted, like a ghost town, and I could count on my fingers the number of staff at work that day. When I asked my host where everyone was, he asked me to wait until the next day. On the second day when I got to the office, the place was buzzing with a beehive of activities and with hundreds of people there. I made my way to my relative’s office and asked him what was going on. He narrated that allocation had just been received from Abuja and that it was the norm that once a month when allocation arrives, all the officials (Chairman, Councillors, Politicians, etc) would all come to “share” the allocation and once completed they would disappear till the end of the next month, as most of them don’t even live in the local council. I asked him why the local people watched them doing this month after month without rising in protest but met a blank face. I guess it is partly due to their poor education and it was quite disheartening.

With this rogue approach, it is therefore not surprising that many of the primary schools and primary health centers across the country are an eyesore. A recent video circulating shows a school in Nigeria with the students exposed to the weather, in supposed classrooms under thatched roofs and without walls. The school only had one teacher who was expected to teach all subjects across all the 6 tiers of secondary school. (click link to the video). Yet the State Governor and the Local Government Chairmen sleep comfortably at night for what their allowances could have made a difference. Where is our conscience?

Furthermore, despite the allocation of revenue (FGN 52.7%, States 26.7%, and LGA 20.6%) being skewed against the LGA, yet is the issue of the “hijacking” of local government funds and responsibilities by state governments. Through instruments like State/LGA Joint Accounts and SUBEB, State governments exert substantial control over funding for primary education and health, sometimes strangulating it and marginalizing the role of local governments. This dynamic creates a disconnect between funding and accountability, complicating efforts to improve educational and health outcomes at the local grassroots level. Given their pivotal role in primary education and health, local government chairmen and councilors must be given autonomy and also held accountable for these sectors’ performance. Effective local governance can lead to significant improvements in student outcomes and healthy citizens, and below are some  recommendations:

1.     Independence – the recent move of the FGN, through the suit at the Supreme Court, to grant full autonomy to the 774 local governments in the country is a welcome development and hopefully this will enable the LGA to get their allocations directly to make a difference at the grassroots.

2.     Resource Allocation: Ensure that a higher % of revenue is allocated to the LGA beyond the current 20.6% level and that such funds allocated for education and health are used effectively and transparently. Most citizens are impacted day to day by their local government so that tier of government should receive a larger allocation.

3.     Capacity Building: Provide training and support for local government officials to enhance their ability to manage their responsibilities (e.g. educational, health, and security) more effectively.

4. Citizens' civic responsibilities: Citizens must ensure that they hold their Local Government Officials accountable for the funds they are being allocated. There should be a demand for more transparency and monthly town hall sessions.

5.     Public Accountability Mechanisms: Implement systems for regular audits and public reporting on the use of LGA funds to foster transparency and accountability and for civic organizations to provide oversights.

Local governments are indispensable actors in Nigeria's primary education, health system, and security. To realize the full potential of these sectors as foundations for national development, it is imperative to strengthen and empower local government officials and hold them more accountable for their roles. By addressing financial, administrative, and operational gaps, local governments can significantly contribute to improving the quality of life at the grassroots, and consequently, a brighter future for Nigeria's children.