LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC ACOUNTABILITY IN NIGERIA (A STUDY OF UMUAHIA SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA)

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1            Background of the Study

Local government from inception in the colonial era to the present time has played significant roles in the socio-political an economic life of the people. It has moved from being an agent of the colonial administration to a recognised third tier of government in Nigeria. This feat was achieved through a nation-wide local government reform carried out in 1976. In carrying out the reforms, the then Federal Military Government under Obasanjo/Shehu Yaradua’s leadership, took cognizance of the defects of the previous local government system in Nigeria hence, the declaration in the forward to the guidelines for local government reforms of 1976 states that:

“The defects of previous local government system are too well known to deserve further elaboration here. Local governments have over the years suffered from the continous whitting doen of their powers. The state governments have continued to encroach upon what would normally have been the exclusive preserve of local government. Lack of adequate funds and appropriate institutions has continued to make local government ineffective and ineffectual. Moreover, the staffing arrangement to ensure a virile local government system had been inadequate. Excessive politics had made even progress impossible.

Consequently, there has been a divorce between people and goernment institutions at the most level.”

The reform went further to recognise local government as the third tier of governmetn in Nigeria. The reforms were intended to stimulate democratic self-government and to encourage intiative, leadership potential and enshrine the principles of political responsbility and provision for ensuring adequate human and financial resources with complete and self contained budgets so that the whole facets of a local government within an area could be identified, costed and cordinated.

          In order to eliminate the inefficiency, incompetence, inability to hire and retain sevices of qualified personnel, the Federal Government identified and designated three federal institutions viz: Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria; University of Nigeria Nsukka and Obafemi Awolowo University to implement the aspects of the programme relating to high manpower development for local government in Nigeria.

          However, it is regretable that the local government system has been bedeviled with catalogue of deficiencies and ills far from the dreams of the founding fathers of the 1976 Reforms. Consequently, this has led to the dissolution of local government councils on many occasions, on grounds of either change of government at the national level or on account of official corruption and embezzelement of public funds by functionaries. It is now a common knowledge that if the system of local government is to serve as a veritable vehicle for transforming oour rural society, the debilitating seffects of misallocation,  misapplication and for misappropriation of resources must be taken to ensure total eradication, or reasonable reduction of the afromentioned vices.

          The central focus of this research study therefore is to exammine the state of public accountability in the local government system in Nigeria with emphasis on Umuahia South Local Government Area.

1.2            Statement of the Problem

It need not be over emphasized that the aim for the establishment of local government is to adeqately link the ruralities to thr mainstearm in htewhole world Nigeria being no exception. The reform of the 1976, as earlier mentioned made the institution of local government. That reform succintly emphasized the need for local governments to remain a galvanizer of progress with the rural areas, especially, in the provision of infrastructure and welfare facilities.

Yet, upon all the resources shifted to local governments, none have been seen to live up to expectations. Their leadership has occupied themselves with mismanagement of resources meant to be used for rural development. The roles of local governments have mindlessly been abandoned.

This has translated to non payment of salaries, non provisisn of amenities such as hospitals, schools, roads and bridges. Workers in local government council have been demoralized with apathy expressed in the disposition. State governments and other higher authorities have constantly intervened in the affairs of local government inspite of constitutional provisions on their autonomy. Most atimes, cronies of stste governors are planted as Chairmen of local government without elections. These cronies as stooges of the government tend to be only responsible to their principals neglecting the immediate plights of the rural people. There is no accountability and transparency in their leadership and the rural population for whom local governments were created is alienated from the whole system. In Umuahia South Local Government, workers are owed for several months. There is over recruitment of labour influenced by political gladiators who are party members of local government transition chairmen.

          There practices have made it imperative to as such question as:

1)    What is the fate of local government institutions if this unaccountability persists?

2)    What future do the ruralities have if the institutions which are supposed to take care of them wobble as it is presently?

3)    How does government especially state government continue to intervenue in local government activities even when the constitution provides otherwise?

4)    How do local government boast of democratizing the rural population when their leadership are imposed, not elected?

1.3     Research Questions

So far, the research questions which will be examined by this research study are:

1)    What are the major reasons for the establishment of local governments?

2)    How has local governments been responsive to the needs of the rural population?

3)    Has local government been accontable and transparent?

4)    What are the major reasons for local government deviation from theses responsibilities?

1.4     Objectives of the Study

The broad objectives of this work is to examine Public accontability within Umuahia South local government of Abia State, with the view of:

1)    To examine the major reasons for the establishment of locl government;

2)    To examine whether locl government have been responsive to the needs of the rural population?

3)    To examine whether local governments have been accountable and transparent; and

4)    To examine the major reasons why local government deviate from these responsibilities.

1.5     Significance of the Study

This study will be significant to many, in no less measure. Firstly, it will benefit Umuahia South Local Government, and other local government. Evidently, it will be of benefit to policy makers in the local government, especially in the area of privatizing development programmes within the rural areas. It will benefit Federal Government and its agencies in the area of exposing the ills, unacountability, irresponsibility and unresponsiveness of the leadership in the local government.

This research may engender the revist of the constitutional provision on local government, with the aim of re-instituting their autonomy which has been debased by the state governments and other higher authorities. It will benefit the Department of Public Administration in FCAI and other tertiary institutions. It will also stimulate further studies and research on the area by both students and cholars.

1.6     Scope of the Study

The scope of this study remains examining and investigating the state of Public Accontability in the local governmentsystem in Nigeria, with emphasis on Umuahia South local government council of Abia State. This topic was chosen because data could be easily corrected.

1.7     Limitations of the Study

This study would have been extensive left for some constraints. First, finance was a problem. As at the time of writing, most workers in the stste were not regularly paid. My parents who helped to sponsor the study were owed several months by government. This drastically hampered sourcing of data, typing and bibding the whole work. The fuel hike also accentuated prices of things generally, such that typing and photocopying became double in price than what had obtained.

Time was another major costraint while this study was conducted. As at the time of the study, academic works were on. The researcher had to combinne both with the little time available. This evedently made the researcher work day and night to attain the little success so far.

Thirdly data was no easy to obtain. Most workers were apprehensive as some documents were classified: Most of them to whom questionnaire were distributed were not available as at the time of collection. This made the researcher visit the local government several times before all questionnaires were obtained. The several visits and unavailability of some of the respondents delayed analysis.

 

 

1.8     Definitions of Terms

Local Government: It is an institution created and ran by elected councillors whose            major responsibility is to attain rural development.

Rural Development: It is the means of making development-oriented programmes               available to the rural people in order to raise their living standard.

Accountability: It is the process by which those who exercise authority whether in              government as elected representatives or as appointed officers must be able               to show that they have exercised their powers and dischargedtheir duties                   properly.

 Download Full Material

Previous Post Next Post