Nine (9) Reasons for the Creation of Local Government in Nigeria

INTRO: The nature and character of local government in Nigeria today (except for few infractions) is largely the product of the 1976 Local Government Reform by the Murtala/Obasanjo regime. The Reform is marked with bringing uniformity to the cacophony and disharmony that once reigned on local government system in Nigeria. In the 1976 Local Government Reform Guidelines, the Federal Government of Nigeria defined local government as “Government at local levels exercised through representative councils established by law to exercise specific powers within defined areas.” The powers which the local representative councils can exercise within their jurisdiction are local affairs “(including staffing) and institutional and financial powers to initiate and to determine and implement projects so as to compliment the activities of the state and federal government in their areas, and ensure through devolution of functions to those councils and through the active participation of the people and their traditional institutions, that local initiative and response to local needs and conditions are maximized” (FGN, 1976). The 1976 Local Government Reform made local government a tier of government in Nigeria, the third tier after the federal and state governments as the first and second tiers respectively. The Reform in this regard availed what are local governments in Nigeria to have clearly defined boundaries, structure, functions, and financial autonomy. What is more, there are 774 local governments in Nigeria today. Out of this 774 local governments in Nigeria, Kano State has 44 local governments as the state with highest number of local governments in Nigeria. Bayelsa State has 9 local governments as the state with the smallest number of local governments in Nigeria. The question here is why are there local governments in Nigeria? 

The reasons for the creation of local government in Nigeria are:

1. Taking government closer to the people. - Local government takes government to the backyards of the local population, and this strengthens governance and prevents the near "governmentlessness" situation at the grassroots due to poor influence of faraway government. Thus, one of the major reasons for the creation of local government in Nigeria is to make comprehensive governance possible. The closeness of government to the grassroots also gives the local population some sense of belonging, and allows them to take their destinies into their hands.       
2. Providing a need-sensitive development. - Another reason for the creation of local government in Nigeria was to address local developmental needs. The developmental needs of localities differ. Local governments were created for a dedicated focus on the developmental needs of their respective localities. This makes up for the gap of insensitivity in the centrally designed development programmes of the Federal Government of Nigeria.
3. Solving the problem of over-centralization of power in the state (a country). - Power, they say, corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Local government devolves the powers of government from the centre to the grassroots. This ensures that there is no instance of absolute power and possible abuse of same by the power-holders at the centre. The powers contained in residual legislative list in Nigeria are actually in the domain of the local governments even though in theory, the state governments exercise the powers, including chieftaincy matters.
4. Leadership training. - Local government serves as a training ground to the local politicians towards national leadership roles. This is more understandable when one considers local government to be a microcosm of the state. The councilors for instance learn effective representation by representing their respective wards. Meanwhile, they contested in an election, solicited for votes and did other things which when put together, leave then equipped with the skills to star as a good politician at the national level.
5. Establishing a channel of communication. – Local government is a level of government in the bigger picture of the Nigerian Federal system. Local government is the third level in the hierarchy of the governments of Nigeria, and this hierarchical order allows top-down and bottom-up flow of information from the centre to the grassroots and vice versa. In this manner, local government plays great roles in implementation of the policies of the Federal government. Take for instance, the implementation of the Nigeria’s “NEEDS,” an MDGs inspired developmental programme which was implemented as SEEDS at the state level, and LEEDS at the local government level.
6. Mobilizing local human and material resources for development. - The proximity of local government to the local environment makes it possible for identifying and mobilizing local resources (human and material) for development not only at the local level but also at the national level. In other words, necessary resources for development which ordinarily would have been hidden away would be promptly identified and mobilized for development by the local government, thanks to its nearness to the people and localities in Nigeria.
7. Promoting participation in politics. – Local governments improve the level of political participation in Nigeria by creating political offices and positions open for electoral contest to the people at the local level. This motivates the desire to vote or be voted for among the local populace which is more likely to trickle down to the desire to participate in national elections and other political activities.
8. Creating job opportunities. – The national ministries, agencies and parastatals largely create their local government offices across the federation, and those offices contribute to improved job opportunities in the country. Local government ventures at the grassroots also create job openings which make jobs available to the unemployed people in the area.  
9. Addressing the issues of domination and marginalization. – Local governments give some sense of autonomy to a group of people who might have been feeling dominated and marginalized in the scheme of national issues. In this manner, Local governement in Nigeria was created to take care of both fancied and real fears associated with the union of major and minor groups, and groupings of cultures and tribes in Nigeria by giving such units some level of autonomy.