Assessment of Intergovernmental Relations and Service Delivery in SabonGari Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

The practice of Intergovernmental Relations provides certain conditions for two or more federating units to come together to provide services to the people. Local Government inability to function effectively is due, in part to corruption, financial and constitutional problems, due to continued strangulation of local government authorities by state government and also through the use of joint account financing. The objectives of the study generally, are to find out whether and how the Kaduna state government interferes with the autonomy of Sabon-Gari Local government in the latter’s quest to formulate and implement local policies for the provision of service delivery. The major finding of the study showed that the more accumulated financial resources of local government account, the more the state government takes out of it illegally, thereby resulting into less services provided by local government to its people. The study recommended, the need for the on-going national constitutional review to make emphasis on ensuring the power of autonomy of local government authorities should be given in full also the removal of joint account financing.