ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN ATAKUNMOSA WEST LGA OF OSUN STATE

ASSESSMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN ATAKUNMOSA WEST LGA OF OSUN STATE

Background  of the study

Since the implementation of the 1976 local government reform, the concept of local government administration in Nigeria has gained considerable interest both domestically and globally. The local government level, according to Agagu, is the one where the people in rural regions should have the biggest effect on the decisions made by their elected officials. Because it is the tier of government that is most in touch with its constituents, the task of ensuring the political, social, and economic growth of its territory and people falls on it (Enero, Oladoyin and Elumilade, 2015).

It is as a consequence of this growth that there is a rising appreciation for the critical role that rural development may play in the overall development of the current developing world. Rural development has become necessary due to the significant disparity that exists between rural and urban regions in terms of infrastructure, natural resource distribution, human resource development, and employment, which has made rural development a priority (Odoh, 2015). As a result of this mismatch, rural communities have found themselves in a more precarious economic situation.

Zakari yau (2016) describes how it has driven rural-to-urban migration, which has resulted in an increase in unemployment in urban regions while simultaneously depriving rural areas of their agricultural labor. Municipal governments were established with the goal of bringing governance closer to citizens on a local scale to allow for involvement in governance, service delivery, and to promote socio-economic development and good governance (Ogunna, 1996 in Okoli, et al, 2015). Unfortunately, openness and accountability in Nigerian local government are only words today; the vast majority of local government officials exhibit conspicuous riches obtained by illegal systematic thievery and corrupt activities (Onah, 2010 in Okoli, et al, 2015).

The failure of local government administration in the field of service delivery over the years has caused residents in Nigeria to lose confidence and trust in the institution of local government administration as a system of governance. Local government administration in Nigeria today may be traced back to the British form of local government, which was established in the late nineteenth century. However, it should be noted that local administration did not begin with the establishment of the British administration in Nigeria, since various kinds of local government administration existed prior to the establishment of the British administration. Local government administration is one of the oldest organizations in the history of mankind. Clan and village meetings were the first forms of local government administration, and they continued to exist today. In reality, democracy itself started and grew along the lines of local government initiative in the ancient Greek City States, which was the model for modern democracy. While it should be noted that in other parts of the world, local governance was developed in accordance with the culture and expectations of the people, with the system being tied to the norms and practices of the people (Aghayere, 2017).

According to Geet (2017), four historical points of reference may be found in the history of local government administration in Nigeria, which are as follows: (1) Colonial rule; (2) Local government reforms in the East and West (1951 and 1952, respectively); (3) the military coup of 1966; and (4) the Local Government Reform Act of 1976. (Gboyega as cited by Aghayere 2017). Local government administration in Nigeria has experienced several transformations, the most notable of which may be attributed to the 1976 Reforms and the Constitutions of 1979 and 1999, respectively. Before 1976, local government administration in Nigeria had been subjected to a variety of shifting circumstances, which had a significant impact on the organization's growth in significant ways. Once again, the 1976 Local Government Reforms was a watershed moment in the local government system; the reform created a uniform framework and established local government as the foundation for development in rural areas, among other things (Agagu, 2017, Ajayi, 2020). The reform represented a significant shift from the prior practice of local government administration in Nigeria. The reform's conceptual foundation is based on the belief that a strong local authority with well defined functional tasks in a power-sharing relationship with the states is an institutional bulwark against tyranny in a democracy. Following the 1976 reforms, local government was recognized as a tier of government that was entitled to a share of national revenue as a result of the functions that had been assigned to it by the Constitution. All of the articles of the 1976 reform plan were integrated into the Federal Republic of Nigeria's Constitution, which was promulgated in 1979. As stipulated in Section 7(1) of the constitution, "the government of every state should assure their existence under a statute that provides for the formation, organization, composition, funding, and activities of such councils" (1979). The authority of the state government over local authorities has been misapplied in order to weaken elected and participatory governance and accountability at the grassroots level, and as a result, the constitutional framework's effectiveness has been called into doubt. Furthermore, the position of local government management under the 1999 Constitution is quite unclear and difficult as well. However, although the 1999 Constitution assures the establishment of a democratically elected local government system, it also devolves responsibility for matters of organization and structure to the states, just as the 1979 Constitution did before it (Oviasuyi et al, 2018). Most rural communities in Nigeria are in a sorry state of development as a consequence of this development, while some urban local government districts are even worse off than their rural counterparts in development. Some of these infrastructures, when they are accessible, are not well maintained. Accordingly, local governments in Nigeria have failed to improve their ability to engage and mobilize human resources in order to meet their demands on a consistent basis over the course of many decades. Local roads have been left unrepaired, rural electricity is in a state of flux, rural health centers are deteriorated due to a lack of medications and appropriate health professionals, rural boreholes and water pumps are devoid of water, and rural water scheme/projects have been abandoned (Tolu, 2019).

1.2 Statement of the study

The establishment of a local government is necessitated by the need to accelerate balanced growth, enhance public engagement, and elicit a reaction from the federal government. It serves as a political and administrative framework that facilitates decentralization, national integration, government efficiency, and a feeling of belonging at the grassroots level. Local government is a unit of administration that exists across the globe (Agagu, 2017). It is local government that has served as the foundation for growth, particularly in terms of relations with the people, on which democracy is predicated. As a result, local government is increasingly recognized as a co-agent of rural development and as a partner in progress with both state and federal governments in rural development initiatives and projects.

In order to facilitate rural development at the grassroots level, it is projected that local government would become increasingly significant in the coming years. The advantage of incorporating the residents of local communities as a focal point of good governance in the administration of local government is that they serve as a point of contact between the local government and the grassroots (Zakari yau, 2016). Zakari Yau (2016) notes that communities in Nigeria have a long history of self-help programs that date back to the 1960s and 1970s. In several sections of the nation, self-help development programs have enabled the construction of basic infrastructure like as roads, bridges, marketplaces, health facilities, elementary and secondary schools, and other educational facilities.

According to Odoh (2015), communities have the ability to respond to specific local development plans, mobilize their resources in a collective manner, adjust their organizations to meet the needs of the situation, and devise their own appropriate management rules to deal with the situation as a result of the situation (Odoh, 2015). To be sure, a variety of challenges have hindered the achievement of these goals in the Atakunmosa west Local Government Area of Osun state, including: joint account system, corruption, state involvement, loss of autonomy, caretakership, apathy, and a lack of financial resources.

BUY THIS TOPIC ON WHATSAPP

Related Project Materials

ABSTRACT

The issue of news coverage in Nigeria has generated interest from all works of life. Argument arise as a result...

ABSTRACT

This study had the objective of assessing the role of gender in cooperative development, analy...

Background to the study

The Constitution of Nigeria clearly ensures the separation of powers as an underlining principle...

Background of the study

 Business organization does not operate in vacuum but it operates in busin...

Abstract

This study attempts to examine Stigmatization and Alienation of Unmarried Teenage Mothers in Sub-Cultu...