RETHINKING LOCAL GOVERNMENT FOR NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

The purpose of local government in Nigeria is meant to help in developing and creating wealth, employment, education, political education, citizen democracy, among others. The idea of local government is to ensure even development throughout the country. However, infiltration of the Federal and the state governments on responsibility of local government functions in Nigeria berated our appreciation. These influences hindered anticipated development from this level of government. The work argues that local government is constitutionally recognised. As such, the purpose of local government is to complement the efforts of other levels of government in the country. The paper also identified local government in Nigeria as a tool for national development through collaborative efforts. Also identified are the many challenges confronting local government in Nigeria, and these challenges have prevented the local government from performing the constitutional responsibility assigned to it. The paper concludes that local government is an agent of national development, which must be allowed to function without encumbrance from the other levels of government in the country.