PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTONOMY IN NIGERIA (A CASE STUDY OF ORUMBA NORTH IN ANAMBRA STATE)

Local government autonomy fosters effective performance of the third tier government in Nigeria. This is because it ensures the people's participation in issues concerning them and it leads to sustainable grassroots development in a country. In a federal system of government, like Nigeria, there is the need for the autonomy of the local government system so that the third tier government would have a sense of belonging. It is against this backdrop that this study was embarked upon to examine the implications of local government autonomy for effective performance of Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State. This paper concludes that local governments have not been able to play their constitutional roles, let alone make attempt at rural development due to the fact that they have been emasculated by other tiers of government. It suggests the Integrated Rural Development (IRD) approach in view of its comprehensiveness for sustainable rural development. The paper strongly recommends autonomy for local governments. It further canvassed fiscal and political reforms as avenues for strengthening governance in the Nigerian local government system.