TRENDS AND ISSUES IN THE SEARCH FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTONOMY AS CATALYST FOR GRASSROOTS DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA SINCE 1960

The subject of local government autonomy and control in Nigeria has been a topical issue overtime especially in view of the expected multiplier effect it would bring when implemented vis-à-vis the lip service paid to it by several of the country’s political leaders. In 2024, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of financial autonomy for local government; still, nothing different was done. By adopting the historical research design, this study utilized the qualitative method to analyze data obtained from secondary sources in the effort to investigate the subject of local government autonomy in Nigeria since independence in 1960 with a view to unearthing the issues surrounding the lack of attention to local government autonomy by majority of Nigerian political leaders. The research revealed that aside the 1976 local government reforms instituted by former General Obansanjo and the transitional reforms of 1985-1993 under former President Ibrahim Babangida, most other regimes failed to honour local government autonomy for reasons ranging from constitutional ambivalence to defective federal practice, poor intergovernmental relations, institutional weaknesses and unpatriotic disposition of most state governments. The study concludes with recommendations such as presidential directives for full implementation of local government financial autonomy as pronounced by the apex court, review of the Nigerian constitution and delineating areas of intergovernmental friction (especially in finance), effecting sanctions on state governments who tamper with local government finances, and replicating/resurrecting the 1976 local government reforms.