GOVERNMENT

The study examined local government autonomy and service delivery in nigeria: a case study of egor local government area of edo state 2018-2024. Four research questions guided the study, and three hypotheses were formulated and tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study employed a descriptive survey research design. The population consisted of residents and stakeholders within Egor LGA, while the sample size comprised 150 respondents drawn across different demographic groups, including local government staff, civil servants, community leaders, private sector workers, and other categories. A structured questionnaire was the instrument for data collection, divided into sections covering demographic information, perceptions of local government autonomy, effectiveness of service delivery, challenges, and strategies for improvement. The reliability of the instrument was established using Cronbach Alpha, and data collected were analyzed using mean (X), standard deviation (SD), and Chi-square tests with the aid of the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The study found amongst others that: Egor LGA has some degree of financial autonomy, as it controls its internally generated revenue and receives timely allocations from higher tiers of government. Political autonomy was also acknowledged, particularly in the area of implementing development projects. However, administrative autonomy, especially in staffing and internal management, was considered weak due to external interference Furthermore, policy recommendations were adopted which include amongst others that, thefederal and state governments should implement constitutional provisions guaranteeing full financial independence of local governments, including direct allocation of funds and authority over internally generated revenue