Government · Lesson 9

Local government in Nigeria

JAMBWAECNECO

What the syllabus asks

JAMB: Local government: structure, functions, problems; the 1976 local government reform and subsequent reforms; local government in the 1999 Constitution

WAEC: Local government: meaning, purposes, structure, functions, sources of revenue, problems; local government reforms (1976); relationship with state and federal governments; local government autonomy

NECO: Local government: meaning, purposes, structure, functions, sources of revenue, problems; local government reforms (1976); relationship with state and federal governments; local government autonomy

What you will learn

Define local government and distinguish devolution from deconcentration.
Explain the reasons for and functions of local government.
Trace the development of local government in Nigeria from Native Authorities to the 1976 reform and after.
Describe the structure of local government under the 1999 Constitution.
Identify the sources of local government revenue.
Explain the problems of local government and the debate on autonomy, including the 2024 Supreme Court judgment.

Key points

Local government: grassroots government through elected councils with defined powers; devolution (true LG) vs deconcentration (field administration).
Reasons: nearness to people, political education, efficient local services, reducing central workload, mobilisation.
Colonial Native Authorities; regional reforms 1950 (East), 1952 (West), 1954 (North).
1976 reform: uniform, single-tier, multi-purpose; 150,000–800,000 people; third tier; 299 councils; traditional councils advisory.
After 1976: Dasuki Committee 1984; executive chairman system 1991; 774 LGAs from 1996.
1999 Constitution: s.7 guarantee; 768 LGAs + 6 FCT area councils; Fourth Schedule functions; s.162(6) joint account; SIECs.
Revenue: 20.60% of Federation Account; 35% of VAT; state share; IGR (rates, fees, licences).
Problems: state interference, caretaker committees, poor funding, corruption, poor staffing.
Supreme Court, 11 July 2024: caretaker committees unconstitutional; direct payment to elected councils.

Start here: Meaning and types of local government

Think of the place where your birth was registered, the motor park whose tickets carry a council stamp, or the primary health centre in your ward. These are run by your local government.

Local government is government at the local level, exercised through representative councils established by law to exercise specific powers within defined areas. The 1976 Guidelines described it as government at the local level, exercised through councils with substantial control over local affairs, staff, institutions and finances.

Devolution and deconcentration

Local government by devolution: real powers are transferred to a separate, elected local body with its own revenue and staff. This is "true" local government.
Local administration (deconcentration): the central or state government sets up field offices staffed by its own officials, who take orders from headquarters. Power is not really transferred.

Features of local government

A defined area and population.
Created by law (in Nigeria, the Constitution and state laws).
Elected council.
Its own staff, budget and sources of revenue.
Power to make bye-laws.
A legal personality: it can sue and be sued.

Worked example 9.1

A state ministry posts officers to every district to collect data and report to the commissioner. Is this local government?

The officers are state employees taking orders from the state capital.
There is no elected local body with its own powers.
So it is local administration (deconcentration), not local government.

Deconcentration

Try it yourself. Give one difference between devolution and deconcentration.

Show solution

Devolution transfers real power to an elected local body; deconcentration only moves central officials to field offices.

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Practice questions

1. Local government is

government at the grassroots by elected councils with defined powers
the federal government's ministry
a traditional council only
a pressure group

Show answer

A: government at the grassroots by elected councils with defined powers
The third tier of government.

2. Transfer of real powers to local governments is

deconcentration
delegation to ministries
centralisation
devolution

Show answer

D: devolution
Deconcentration transfers only tasks.

3. The 1976 Local Government Reform introduced

warrant chiefs
regional governments
a uniform, single-tier, multi-purpose system
Native Authorities

Show answer

C: a uniform, single-tier, multi-purpose system
Local government as the third tier.

4. Under the 1976 reform, a local government was to have a population of

5,000–10,000
150,000–800,000
10,000–50,000
1–2 million

Show answer

B: 150,000–800,000
Guideline range.

5. Nigeria has

774 local government areas
768 local government areas
36 local government areas
301 local government areas

Show answer

A: 774 local government areas
768 LGAs plus 6 FCT area councils.

Key words

Local government: Government at the local level by a council with defined powers over a specific area.
Third tier: Local government as the level below the federal and state governments.
Native Authority: The colonial local government unit, usually based on a traditional ruler (indirect rule).
Single-tier system: One level of local council for each area, rather than layered councils.
Ward: The smallest electoral unit in a local government, represented by a councillor.
Councillor: An elected member of the local government legislative council.
Bye-law: A law made by a local government council.
Caretaker committee: An unelected body appointed to run a council in place of elected officials.
State Joint Local Government Account: The account into which federal and state allocations to local governments are paid (s.162(6)).
SIEC: State Independent Electoral Commission, which conducts local government elections.
Rates: Local taxes on property (tenement rates).
Deconcentration: Transferring administrative tasks to field offices of the central government, without real power.

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