Third Tier Of Government Research Articles

Transparency and Accountability in Nigeria's Public Sector: Local Government Fiscal Autonomy in Focus

The study examines how local government fiscal autonomy can promote transparency and accountability in Nigeria’s public sector. Personal interview and survey research methods were adopted in the study and structured questionnaires were distributed to a sample of 132 local council administrators comprising Treasurers, Heads of Accounts, Budgets and Audit of the local government councils in the eleven states in the South-South and South-East Nigeria. A semi-structured interview was employed to guide the interview section. The study finds that there is a semblance of accountability in the management of local government council funds, but the transparency of the local councils is in doubt because fiscal information is not readily available. Most of the local councils do not have a functional website. A major limitation of this study is the unwillingness of respondents to divulge information on local council funds. To overcome this challenge, the research instrument was designed to make respondents give an estimate of the amount received. The study result shows that the fiscal autonomy of local councils is important for the development of the country and reinforces the need to grant local government councils fiscal autonomy to ensure effective development and bring governance closer to the people. The study findings show that granting autonomy to local councils in Nigeria will enhance the council area's development for the citizens' overall benefit. Based on the findings, the study recommends that federal and state governments in Nigeria should rethink the fiscal autonomy of local government councils and take necessary steps to restore the fiscal autonomy of the third tier of government to address the problems of developmental deficits ravaging the nation.

Local Government Autonomy in Nigeria: Implications for Quality Service Delivery at the Grassroots LevelLocal Government Autonomy in Nigeria: Implications for Quality Service Delivery at the Grassroots Level

Local government (LG) is the third tier of government that is domesticated at the grassroots level outside the State and Federal governments. LGs are established to ensure effective governance at the local level. Nigeria adopted federal system that envisages autonomy for every level of government. Contrarily, there has been the issue of LG inability to ensure the provision of quality infrastructural and developmental projects, its inability to initiate, implement and execute projects at the localities according to constitutional provisions. All these are attributed to the state government dominance of the affairs of LGs. As such, this paper intends to x-ray the implications of local government autonomy to quality service delivery on the grassroots populace, especially in the areas of political, administrative and fiscal autonomy. We considered Systems theory as apt for this paper. Methodologically, qualitative approach was used. Extant literatures were conceptually and empirically reviewed. Conclusively, we observed significant low service delivery hugely linked to lack of LGs autonomy. To this extent we recommend that LGs should be granted autonomy in order to enhance effectiveness, efficiency and quality service delivery to the people at the grassroots.

Local Governance: Concepts and Roles of the Contemporary Society in Somalia

This article presents a comprehensive examination of the historical and contemporary dynamics of governance in Somalia. It begins with a review of the country's socio-political landscape, highlighting the impact of the civil war, the emergence of clan-based territories, and the rise of non-state actors. The article then traces the evolution of Somali governance from independence to the present day, emphasizing the transition from a centralized authority to a federal system. The role of external stakeholders in Somalia's reconciliation and recovery process is thoroughly analyzed, drawing attention to the complex influences of international and regional actors. A key focus of the article is the formation of the third tier of government in Somalia, the district council, under the Wadajir framework. The challenges faced by this newly established entity, including clan-based conflicts and a fragile revenue system, are discussed in detail. At the same time, the potential of the district council in fostering improved local government actions, encouraging community engagement in development and ensuring fairer resource distribution is underscored. The article concludes with a forward-looking discussion on the prospects of inclusive governance and local empowerment in Somalia's future. This comprehensive analysis serves as a valuable resource for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners interested in Somali politics and governance

Constitutional review and the achievement of higher performance in democratized local government system of Delta and Edo State

This paper x-rayed the importance of constitutional review as the instrument or tool to achieve effectiveness; in the local government systems of Delta and Edo States. It is rather good to mention that every system whether as a body or an institution of governance needs good legislations as a constitutional framework to enable its performance or pragmatism because without it there will not be direction of focus as well as accountability, hence the constitution is the oxygen of the state as well as government in the forms of arms, tiers and agencies. Local government performance in Nigeria, especially Delta and Edo States as the focal points is at dismal state in terms of performance, rural communities are a continuous shadow of themselves and this is as a consequence to the faulty constitutional arrangements that has gone a long way to pervasively strangulated this third tier of government to the extent that their essence of creation is far apart from the reality on ground. Thus, this constitutional deformity has spiral into various problems such as oppression from the state agencies, general indiscipline among the cadre of workers in the local government system, inadequacy of skilled workers among others. The study therefore, arrived at some recommendations such as: The need for urgent constitutional review to reform the laws that dictate the whims and caprices of the local government system, local government autonomy entailing financial and administration should be ensured, the state joint local government account should be entirely abolished. The study concludes that the legislature as an organ of government should be sincere to enforce the political will of a good constitutional reform for an effective local government performance.

The Place of the Local Government in Nigeria’s Federal Arrangement

Multi-level government arrangements-federal, state/provincial and local government-are common to all federal systems. However, the place and role of local government in those systems vary markedly. In some, local government is a constitutionally recognised sphere of government, while in others it is merely a competence of the state/provincial government, or an administrative unit of a higher order of government. In some federal systems where it is recognised, like Nigeria, the local governments are principally established for socio-economic and political development at the grassroots. Thus, local governance is the prerogative of the local governments in Nigeria. This tier of government established by Section 7 of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) has some of its functions detailed in the fourth schedule of the same constitution. The overall objective of this paper is the analysis of the current status of the local government within the Nigerian federal system, and a critical examination of what the future holds for the third tier of government in Nigeria. Using essentially secondary documentary method, with content and thematic analysis, the paper recommends incremental constitutional review (as against mega constitutional renewal), the need to enhance political and economic autonomy of local government through frequent elections, and adopting new strategies for generating internal revenues for the local government in Nigeria.

Competent and Qualified Personnel and Service Delivery at the Local Government Level in Nigeria: A Conceptual Review

This paper examined the concept of competent and qualified personnel and service delivery at the local government level in Nigeria. One of the core reasons for the creation of local government in almost all countries of the world is to provide goods and services to the local population. Unfortunately, this third tier of government has performed abysmally in meeting the felt needs of those in their jurisdictions and this has been a major concern to public policy makers and various stakeholders. The method used to obtain data was through the secondary sources, findings suggest that service delivery at the local government level in Nigeria has been very poor due to lack of competent and qualified personnel, the resultant effect has been lack of accountability and transparency. Service delivery at the local government’s level suffered neglect because of institutional weakness and lack of competent and qualified personnel. Paradoxically, poor services are the social vices bedeviling the Nigerian society of which local governments is charged with the responsibility of mitigating; hence for the local government to perform its statutory function of service delivery efficiently, there must be a complete autonomy of local government both administratively and fiscally; and for service delivery to be realistic. There must be competent and qualified personnel with expertise through regular workshops, seminars and training for capacity building.

The Historical Development of Local Government Administration and Its Contemporary Realities in Nigeria

Local government is the government at the grassroots closest to the people. It is the tier of government administration that coordinates the activities of citizens at the local community levels. Local government as a concept of government existed long before the arrival of the colonialists. There were forms of local government administrations in Nigeria before colonial rule. During colonialism, the British's indirect rule system was built upon existing local administrations in Nigeria. However, the story is not the same for local government administration regarding structure and organization in the country today. The study x-rayed the various phases and eras of local government development in Nigeria. It further analyzed the present realities of local administration in the country. The study employed a qualitative approach. The qualitative data were generated from interview responses from relevant stakeholders (such as Traditional leaders and senior local government administrative staff). Also, data were gathered from existing relevant literature. Data collected were analyzed using the context analysis method. The study revealed that local government administration in Nigeria has passed through torturous phases. It identified the lack of local government autonomy amongst others as the main challenge bedeviling its development in the country. The study concluded with recommendations to reposition local government for effective service delivery as Nigeria's third tier of government.

INFLUENCE OF WORKPLACE SPIRITUALITY ON EMPLOYEES’ JOB COMMITMENT: A STUDY OF LAGOS ISLAND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

This study investigated the relationship between workplace spirituality and employees’ job commitment in Lagos Island local government. The study used the descriptive survey research design to select 192 respondents using purposive sampling method. Three hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance using Pearson Product Moment Correlation with the aid of SPSS version 20. Results indicated a strong and statistically significant relationship between the three components of workplace spirituality (meaningful work, inner life, and sense of connection) and three components of employees’ commitment (affective, continuance and normative commitment). Arising from the findings, it was recommended among other things, that Lagos Island local government management should create forums for open discussion on spirituality, values, and rights of employees, and integrate organizational goals and personal goals to increase employees’ commitment. Also, there is need for Lagos Island local government management to put in place policies and procedures towards spiritual freedom which will assist employees develop their true potential and personality. Finally, Lagos Island local government management should indoctrinate workplace spiritual programmes towards organizational commitment into the workforce. By so doing, this will compel workers to be more loyal and committed, thereby rendering more positive services to the third tier of government.

Exploring Alternative Funding Sources for Sustainable Development of Local Governments in Nigeria

This paper examines the impact of Government revenue allocation and Commercial Banks’ loans for the development of Local Government Areas in Nigeria in this current democratic dispensation. It investigates the use of traditional funding sources of total Local Government expenditure (that is recurrent and capital expenditures) together with Banks loans to the Agricultural sector as proxies of sources of finance for the funding of developmental projects in Local Government areas of the country. Time series data spanning a period from 1999 to 2020 (22 years) years were analysed using Augmented Dickey-Fuller (ADF). The findings revealed a highly restrictive impact of statutory revenue allocation on the socio-economic development of the third tier of Government. A significant proportion of public revenue allocation is for recurrent expenses, with minimal impact on the provision of needed infrastructures for the expansion of the socio-economic amenities in the rural areas. Similarly, the banks’ loans to the Agricultural sector has contributed to gross domestic product, however, this has not equally facilitated meaningful development nor improved agricultural modernisation in the rural areas as much as desired. Public borrowing has not halted the rural-urban drift through the provision of social and economic infrastructures. The paper, therefore, recommends the necessity of exploring alternative sources of financing for the sustainable development of the rural economy in Nigeria, given the important role of the rural and semi-urban economies in the overall national economy. A more responsive, creative and innovative financing strategy such as the establishment of a multi-level Rural Development Financial Institution might be appropriate that would fund five (5) identified critical areas of rural development like rural road network development, rural housing, rural energy, primary health centre, and rural-based small scale industries.

Strengthening the Legislature for Effective Performance at the Third Tier of Government in Nigeria

The legislature is a vital organ of government in a democratic regime just as the executive and the judiciary. Unfortunately, the legislature at local government level in Nigeria has become moribund to deliver its vital roles due to a number of challenges such as party politics, appointment of caretaker members into council areas, use of local-state joint account, overbearing of the state government(s) on grassroots activities, and so on. As a result of the above challenges, the legislature at the third tier of government needs to be repositioned for effective service delivery. Hence, this paper examines the challenges of the legislature at the third tier of government with a view to making it more assertive to deliver on its constitutional roles. The study adopts qualitative method in its investigation. Data for the study were gathered from secondary sources and were content analyzed. The study revealed that the legislative activities at the grassroots in Nigeria are below expectation. This paper concludes that if the legislative arm of government is properly strengthened at the grassroots, it is capable of enabling people to receive urgent attention, assist in public engagement, reduce marginalization, and convey higher degree of legitimacy on the legislators for decision making. Keywords: strengthening, the legislature, effective performance, service delivery, third tier of government. DOI: 10.7176/DCS/11-4-05 Publication date: April 30 th 2021

Between the Devil and Lying Angels: An Invitation for a New Perspective on State Interference in Local Government Fiscal Autonomy in Nigeria

One of the most contested issues in Nigeria’s political landscape and federal structure is the debate on the fiscal autonomy of the Local Government as the third tier of government. The literature on the subject appears to zero down the issue of Local Government fiscal autonomy to a political ‘devil’. The position of existing scholarship on the subject concludes that by taking advantage of Sections 7 and 162 of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, it is common practice for the State Governors to usurp the autonomy of the Local Governments. The Governors are also accused of using the Joint Account framework to control the statutory allocations of the Local Governments. Hence, Local Governments in Nigeria lacks fiscal autonomy which is one of the main principles of the three tiers of government structure. However, the underlying politics that has played out in the Fourth Republic in Nigeria reveals that this historical and legalistic perception does not provide a complete explanation of the problem. This is because the literature does not consider the role of the political elite at the Local Government level in sustaining the shrewd nature of State and Local Governments interaction in Nigeria’s Federal structure, rather the existing literature focused entirely on the governor as a ‘devil’ and ignores the role of the political class at the grassroots level as “lying angels”. This paper is therefore an invitation for a deeper theoretical deconstruction of this phenomenon to stimulate an encompassing and interesting perceptive on what we conceptualize as State-Local Government Interactions in Nigeria (SLIN). Our primary objective is to draw attention to the role of the personalities of the political class at the grassroots level which makes up the highest cadre of the hierarchy in the Local Government in shaping SLIN. We present a case that future debates should go beyond “devil” and also focus on the profound role of “lying angels”.

Leadership Management and Control of Local Government in Nigeria for Grassroot Development

Local government administration in Nigeria, as the third tier of government, has been bedevilled with so many challenges despite series of reforms. These challenges were adduced to emanate for lack of proper administrative management and control as leadership is believed to be the cornerstone of the system’s effective and responsible grass-root development. Thus, this paper was informed to examine the various types of leadership styles operating in organizations as well as the local governments in the country. This was done using sources of data such as journal articles, newspapers and textbooks related to local government administration in Nigeria. It is, therefore a descriptive study that relied on secondary data sources. The paper revealed the forms of leadership styles and their challenges inhibiting efficient service delivery to the people at the grassroot level of governance in Nigeria. It concluded that the challenges are institutional and attitudinal in nature which could be addressed if there is the political will by the leaders of the local governments. It recommended a democratized local government leadership system to allow both the leaders and the subordinate to ventilate their administrative opinions in making decisions which affect the rural populace at the grassroot levels.

Breaking New Frontiers in Nigeria Commercial Agricultural Sector and the Exigency for Active Involvement of Local Governments

This paper is an assessment of breaking new frontiers in Nigeria commercial agricultural sector and the exigency for active involvement of local governments. It was concluded that unlocking Nigeria’s full agricultural potential requires that Nigeria solve the underlying challenges in its agricultural system, which includes; policy framework, finance and risk management, agricultural technology, political commitment amongst others. The paper recommended that the Local Government Service Commission should be strengthened and accorded constitutional recognition, and given the commission’s laudable objectives, such strengthening would support the human resource and staffing development of local governments in Nigeria, furthermore, Local government administrators in Nigeria should be encouraged to implement the agricultural policies of the government at the grassroots. Keywords: Commercial Agriculture, Third Tier of Government, Grass Root Development, Agricultural Programmes. DOI : 10.7176/JESD/10-6-09 Publication date :March 31 st 2019

Interrogating Governance and Constitutional Issues of Local Government System in Nigeria

The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, contains some provisions for the creation of local government as the third tier of government whose objective is to ensure effective, measurable and efficient service delivery to the people, while bringing government closer to people at the rural communities in order to attain the transformation of lives in these communities. However, local governments in Nigeria are facing various difficulties which have brought to the fore the question of local government autonomy. The experience with many Local Government Areas is that their states starve them of the statutory grants, and in the process deny them the opportunity of rendering essential services as required. The major concern of this paper is identifying these difficulties and the factors responsible for them. In achieving this, the paper relies on descriptive approach. The conclusion of the paper is that problems confronting local governments in Nigeria are multifarious, and the solutions for them should be adequate and practical to evolve into a viable and development-oriented third tier of government.

STRUCTURAL CHALLENGES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION IN NIGERIA

This paper examined the structural challenges and local government development in Nigeria. Local governments system in Nigeria, has taken different forms from one period to the other. There were series of reforms in the Nigerian local government system aimed at addressing the structural deficiency inherent in the third tier of government in Nigerian federation. Suffice it to say that, the development of local government in Nigeria is almost becoming an illusion as local governments faced with multifarious structural challenges which serve as impediments to its development. The study that relied on secondary data sources through a comprehensive review of relevant literature on the subject of discussion. The paper identified constitutional crises, undue political interference amongst others as major constraints to local government development in Nigeria. The paper submits that there is need to restructure the present local government system in Nigeria by going back to multi-tier local government in the 1950’s. Areas of contribution to its development were also identified and conclude that the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria should be amended to enable State Governments and the various State Houses of Assembly loosen their firm grip on the local governments in order to allow the local government authorities take initiative that will enhance its growth and development.

State-Local Financial Relations in India

In a federal economy like India, it is important to understand the fiscal relations between different layers of government to bring out their implications for revenue generation, revenue sharing and taxation. This paper describes the functional responsibilities and sources of revenue of local bodies, explains the present constitutional arrangements relating to State-Local fiscal relations in India, and examines the role of various statutory bodies in this regard. It also discusses the recommendations of the various Finance Commissions which have successively emphasised the need to adequately empower Local bodies to enable them to provide basic services at the grass root level. The institution of State Finance Commission also needs to be strengthened so that it plays an effective role in the system of fiscal transfers to the third tier of government.

Machinery Maintenance Viewpoint: One Approach to an Improved Rural Road Traffic Safety in Southwest Nigeria

Local Governments (LGs), the third tier of government in Nigeria, are expected to maintain infrastructure facilities at the grass root level but most rural communities in Southwest Nigeria are characterized by poorly maintained roads. This study assessed conditions of Moveable Rural Road Maintenance Equipment (MRRME) under LGs in Southwest Nigeria vis-a-vis the safety levels on the rural roads. The study measured, impacts of roads conditions on commercial drivers/riders (cdr) and, level of usage of MRRME for the roads. Questionnaires were used to measure: accident rates and impacts among 250 cdr on 9 selected rural roads; Maintenance Performance Measures (MPM) of MRRME among 430 Senior Technical Officers (STOs) and Senior Finance Offices (SFOs) in 84 LG secretariats. The conditions of MRRME were carried out using observational method. More than 72% of cdr were involved in one crash or another and 89% of them attributed this to bad roads. Less than 26% of MRRME was functional with weak plans/tools put in place for correct maintenance program leading to a high level of MRRMEs’ failures and total neglect. T-test t (428) = -5.146, p = 0.421) found that the opinions of STOs (poor ratings for MPM policy implementation) were not different from that of the SFO. There is the need for safety attitudinal change among cdr. LGs also need empowerment to ensure proper maintenance of MRRME and enhances their availability. These measures among other will reduce accidents death counts on Nigeria rural roads.

Corrigendum to "What Do the Hospital Pharmacists Think about the Quality of Pharmaceutical Care Services in a Pakistani Province? A Mixed Methodology Study".

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Perennial War between the three tiers of Government in Nigeria: The Revenue Sharing Question Re-examined

<p>The relation between the three tiers of government in Nigeria has been problematic over the years. Several commissions and committees have been set and recommendations proffered, but up till today there is still fiscal conflict among the tiers of government. The local government being the third tier of government is the worst hit and this has resulted to inability of the local government to carry out its statutory functions effectively. It is in view of this that this study examined inter-governmental relation and the performance of local government in Nigeria. The study adopted survey design, specifically descriptive research was adopted. Data was collected using questionnaire, focus group discussion. Secondary data was generated from government records and Central Bank of Nigeria. The findings revealed among other things that inter-governmental relation has to an extent helped to reduce tension among the three tiers of government in Nigeria. Also the imperfection of 1999 constitution has hampered fiscal relation in the three tiers of government in Nigeria. The study recommended among other things that effort should be made to ensure that all tiers of government adhere to fiscal transparency, accountability and constitutional provisions on fiscal relations.</p>

Strengthening India's State Finance Commissions: Essential for 'Co-Operative Federalism'

The 73rd and 74th Amendments in 1992 to India’s Constitution resulted in the establishment of the third-tier of government comprising of urban local bodies (ULBs) and Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). The amendments mandated the establishment of the State Finance Commissions (SFCs) at every five years to recommend allocation and devolution of States’ fiscal resources between, and among, ULB and PRIs, with the view to improving accessibility of public amenities and services. This paper has developed a framework for assessing the role of SFCs in India over the last two decades. The framework focuses on the criteria involving processes and outputs of the SFCs. The analysis strongly suggests that SFCs have, so far, had an extremely limited impact on improving fiscal arrangements within states, enhancing the accountability of State governments, as well as that of ULBs and PRIs, in addressing vertical and horizontal fiscal imbalances, and in increasing access to public amenities. The evolving dynamics of Union - State relations in India implies there is an urgent need to address challenges of rapid urbanization, the changing nature of PRIs, rising aspirations of people across the country - particularly in terms of good quality public amenities. These strongly SFCs need to undergo a transformative change. The work of forthcoming SFCs and responses of State governments to their recommendations require much greater attention by all the stakeholders, including the researchers. The challenge after more than two decades is to enhance the role which the third tier of government plays in India in improving accessibility, quality and affordability of public amenities to citizens, and making them more accountable.