LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCIAL AUTONOMY IN NIGERIA: A MYTH OR REALITY

This study critically interrogated the financial autonomy given to local government in Nigeria both in the past and in the present Administration of President Mohammadu Buhari, GCFR. The main objective of the study is to examine and ascertain whether the financial autonomy granted to the local government council is a “Myth” or “reality’’ the study relied heavily on secondary data from in-depth desk review of books, journals, magazines, government documents, internet publications, newspapers etc. also, the study made use of primary data from personal interactions and interviews of some key stakeholders in the local government service such as the chairman, Head of Service (HOS), Head of Personnel Management (HPM), treasurer and supervisory councilors. The major findings of the study reveals that autonomy to local government in Nigeria whether administrative or financial in nature is a “Myth”, a “mirage”, a “shifting sand” and not actualizable in “practice and reality”. The reason is because the Governors, through the instrumentalities of the state government have devised means and strategies to enforce all kinds of administrative, Judicial, Legislative and financial controls over the local government councils in their domain. Consequently, based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that for the local government councils in Nigeria to become vehicle for efficient and effective services delivery at the grassroots and rural areas; there should be constitutional amendment as is the case in all the federal system of government in the world today, for local governments in Nigeria to be the creation of the state government and sub-ordinate to them. This is necessary to make the local government accountable to the state government who will have the sole authority to organize structure, monitor and manage the councils to become result-oriented and efficient in services delivery as envisioned by the founding fathers and the 1976 Local Government Reforms.