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.