Why is Local Government Autonomy a Necessity in Nigeria?

The abuse of power by some state governors has led to growing concerns regarding the functioning of local government system in Nigeria. In fact, no local government has financial capacity to execute any project deemed crucial for improving the living conditions of rural dwellers without governor’s approval. This has led to mass discontent, particularly at the grassroots — an indication that all is not well with this tier of government. This paper therefore elaborates more on the factors that undermine the ability of the local government to perform its statutory functions, negating the tenets of true federalism and generating controversies. Considering the political implications of a recent judicial pronouncement given by the Apex Court (Supreme Court), it is discovered that in the absent of local government autonomy, the rural communities would be unable to feel the impact of local councils. The search for local government autonomy has made the judicial intervention necessary. This implies that the system of local government administration in the country may increasingly become ineffective and useless without full financial autonomy given to the local government. The article stresses that local government reform, premised largely on the need for financial autonomy, has thus become imperative. More importantly, local governments can only be efficient in the performance of their civic responsibilities of improving standards of living and ensuring sustainable development in the rural areas, if financial independence of this tier of government is allowed. In this context, with autonomy assured, it can be considered as a necessity in the current democratic dispensation.