Abstract
Local government creates an appropriate and conduciveenvironment for the people at the local level through efficient and effective service delivery. The value of localgovernment in a country is inestimable because it is an indispensable arm of government. As a result, the link between the qualities of service that citizens enjoy is very significant. The article examines local government and effective service delivery with special reference to Nigerianlocal governments. It notes that Local government is the closest government<br />to the people at the grassroots level,so it is expected to play significant roles in providing the social services for the people in order to improve their standard of living. But in Nigeria, the impact of local government is so far limited, especially with regard to improving service delivery. The article observes that despite the strategic importance of local government to the development process through effective service delivery, there has not been much development in most local governments in Nigeria. The article recommends that local governments in Nigeria need adequate autonomy that can facilitate their operations and development of the localities through effective service delivery.
Highlights
In all emergent states, local government has become the main fundamental instrument for the acceleration and sustenance of development
It is an irony of fate that the military induced reforms in the Nigerian Local Government has its attendant contradictions since the military structure is essentially hierarchical, the operation of Local Government cannot be isolated from such contradictions that characterized military hegemony
In ensuring effective local government administration in Nigeria, it is important that the local government should rationalize its expenditure patterns so as to, at least, achieve optimum performance
Summary
Local government has become the main fundamental instrument for the acceleration and sustenance of development. Local government is widely acknowledged as a viable instrument for development and for the delivery of social services to the people. The Local Government is the closest tier of government to the people in Nigeria, yet the resident population in it is denied the benefits of its existence. This is evident in the environmental state, deteriorating public school buildings, poor market facilities and lack of health care centres. The failure of the Local governments in the area of service delivery has made the citizens to lose trust in government as an institution. Given the Millennium Development Goals and the huge resources that have accrued to the various levels of government, it is pertinent to review the performance of service delivery since the country’s return to democratic rule in 1999
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