Local Government Administration as a Vital Sustainable Structure of Grass Root Development and Nation-Building in Nigeria

Citation: Akingbade Babajide Olufemi, "Local Government Administration as a Vital Sustainable Structure of Grass Root Development and Nation-Building in Nigeria", Universal Library of Innovative Research and Studies, Volume 01, Issue 02.

Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

The article “Local Government Administration as a Vital Sustainable Structure of Grass Root Development and Nation-Building in Nigeria” reveals that local government has immense functions that makes it very significant in a democratic system, unfortunately the various political gladiators at the helm of affairs under the military and civilian has made local government activities dysfunctional in Nigeria. Thus, the local government as a structure or third tier of governments remains an undisputed vital structure that bring governance closer to the people at the grassroot by providing basic social amenities that will make life more meaningful to the populace. The article justifies the importance of local government by efficiency services theory of local government, democratic school of local government and accountability and control theory of local government the major encumbrances constraining the activities of local government are been constrain by financial and administrative lack of financial autonomy, deliberate creation of poverty and the menace of lingering corruption in the system. Local government has achieved has certain functions that conspicuously makes it a vital structure vital sustainable structure of grass root development and nation-building in Nigeria; such functions ranges from urbanization & community development, availability of labour, project initiation, commercialization of agriculture, modernization of technology, administrative efficiency and political education. The article concludes that that the activities of local government is an important inventive structuration in nation building and development in modern democracy through the various innovations and functions. The third-tier of government is democratic in is orientation by inculcating the principles, tenets and ethos in the polity by achieving democratic prospect whimsically and capriciously.

Keywords: Local Government, Administration, Development, Democratic System, Nigeria.

https://doi.org/10.70315/uloap.ulirs.2024.0102004