LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTONOMY IN NIGERIA: CONTENDING ISSUES AND THE WAY FORWARD

In recent time, the issue of local government autonomy has been prevalent in the hearts of men, especially in Nigeria. In addition, whether local government in Nigeria deserves autonomy as the third tier remains contending issue among scholars as well as Nigerians and the law. The objective of the paper is to investigate the need for local government autonomy, determine some key contending issues and the way forward for purposeful grassroots development. From the reviews, it was noted that local government deserve autonomous existence to attain its status as the third tier of government in Nigeria. The researchers employ descriptive research method in examining the notion of local government autonomy; dwelling on secondary sources to gather necessary information. Elite theory was adopted to corroborate our explanation of the interplay among stakeholders in various levels of government. Therefore, the study found that: local government in Nigeria needs autonomy for effective service delivery; political interference, finance and administrative capacity remain major contending issues negating autonomy of local government. Moreover, for the way forward there is high expectation for local government to have clearly defined legal framework guaranteeing local government powers through effective law, guaranteed lucrative revenue generating sources and, must have control over its personnel and finances.