Many political analysts have highlighted that a challenge with Nigeria is the lack of state capacity for effective governance. Over time, we have continued to put pressure on our president and governors for effective governance on the need to create an effective state. This attention has rarely been turned to the local government administration which holds a much bigger potential in building the capacity of the Nigerian State. This is because the local governments have historically lacked leaders that can exploit their vast potential at the local level.
Historically, the fight between local governments and State governments has been over revenue from the federation account. Governors have been accused of stiffening the local governments financially. However, the challenge of local governments is beyond FAAC revenues. Statutorily, local governments have responsibilities that they are meant to take charge of, just as they are empowered by the constitution to collect various levies and fees.
The constitution has bequeathed to the local governments duties such as provision and maintenance of primary, adult and vocational education. Unfortunately, state governments have continued to have a firm grip on the finances of local governments. The judgment of the Supreme Court granting financial autonomy to local governments was a landmark one, though Nigerians still await implementation of the judgment.
But, if local governments are to live up to their constitutional responsibilities, they must start to think outside the box as local government autonomy solely dependent on FAAC allocation could be a recipe for disaster. The local governments must become innovative, particularly in the generation of revenue. Local government chairmen have traditionally relied on taxation which usually creates a problem where state and local governments argue on jurisdictions in tax collections. To make local governments viable, the local governments must start to invest in building the capacity to generate real revenue from products and services.
Another challenge to local governments is productivity. The local governments have been burdened with unnecessary administrative jamborees at the expense of productivity, making local government staff a regular example of unproductivity in civil service. I believe civil service in local governments should be repositioned from administrative to products and services. For instance, Abeokuta South local government of Ogun State has a few farm settlements and other investments which have been neglected while workers employed for managing them are now hanging around the local government Secretariat with little productive activity to participate in. Thus, to reposition the local governments, local government staff must be put back into productive work.
Also, there is less focus on the quality of people elected into the local governments. Local government elections, for many, have become a coronation for the faithful of the ruling party, which is not supposed to be the case. Leadership at the local government should not just be about aligning with the ruling party in a state; it should be about good governance. Local governments must be a breeding space for political tolerance, thus, we must have as much political diversity as possible. We must build local governments to accommodate members of different parties working together for the greater good. Thus, the focus must never be on the party but on the candidate.
Conclusively, local governments would not function if we do not get the best brains into leadership at the local governments. Over time, the best brains have neglected the local governments considering it too low to start from. This is an attitude that must change. If we are to make an impact in the nation, we must shun our elitist outlook and embrace the people at the grassroots.
- Oluwapelumi Coker writes from Ogun State