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Abstract
This study examined the dawn of local government autonomy in Nigeria: an examination of feasibility. Thus, this study investigated the constitutional and legal frameworks for local government autonomy, assess the benefits and challenges of implementing autonomy and explore stakeholder roles in facilitating autonomy. The participants in this study were 120 residents of Ovia north east local government selected through the use of systematic sampling technique. Survey design through structured questionnaire were used to extract relevant data for the study. The hypotheses of the study were tested using chi-square (x 2) statistical tool. The study discovered that stakeholders has roles to play in actualizing local government autonomy, such roles includes ensuring local governments to get their allocations directly from the federal government, serving as watch dog making sure allocated funds are prudently managed and made to benefit people at the
grassroots, involving anti-graft agencies to monitor local government spending
since no immunity to local government chairmen and agitating for the amendments of the constitution to return the conduct of council polls to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as it currently conducted by State Electoral Commissions (SIECs). The study recommended that in supporting the pronouncement by the Supreme Court of Nigeria of ensuring democratic governance at the local government level in the 36 states of the federation, there should equally be implementation of Fiscal esponsibility Act 2007 across all the States of the Federation. This legislation compels states to conduct periodic elections, thereby ensuring that there exist democratically elected local
government officials as against the usual practice where state governors constitute
Caretaker Committees or Transition Councils to superintend over local government councils. The significance of this is that it will help in the consolidation of the nation’s democracy, especially at the grass root level and engender both financial and political accountability. Apart from this, it will equally ensure international good practice that will result in greater efficiency in the allocation and management of public expenditure, revenue collection, debt control and transparency in fiscal matters.
grassroots, involving anti-graft agencies to monitor local government spending
since no immunity to local government chairmen and agitating for the amendments of the constitution to return the conduct of council polls to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as it currently conducted by State Electoral Commissions (SIECs). The study recommended that in supporting the pronouncement by the Supreme Court of Nigeria of ensuring democratic governance at the local government level in the 36 states of the federation, there should equally be implementation of Fiscal esponsibility Act 2007 across all the States of the Federation. This legislation compels states to conduct periodic elections, thereby ensuring that there exist democratically elected local
government officials as against the usual practice where state governors constitute
Caretaker Committees or Transition Councils to superintend over local government councils. The significance of this is that it will help in the consolidation of the nation’s democracy, especially at the grass root level and engender both financial and political accountability. Apart from this, it will equally ensure international good practice that will result in greater efficiency in the allocation and management of public expenditure, revenue collection, debt control and transparency in fiscal matters.
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