LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCING: CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR EFFECTIVENESS

OBODO, N.A (2017) LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCING: CONSTITUTIONAL PROVISIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR EFFECTIVENESS. In: Book of Proceedings: Biennial Conference on Interdisciplinary Studies. GO University Press, Enugu State, pp. 150-154. ISBN 978-978-54384-8-2

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Abstract

Local Government, as it is presently known, was originally known as Indirect Rule System of Local Administration. It was first tried in the Northern Emirates, and upon the amalgamation of the Southern and Northern Provinces by Lord Lugard in 1914, the system came down to the Southern Provinces. It was assimilated in the Western Provinces but was not so easily in the Eastern Provinces. The Local Government Ordinance patterned after the English system of Local Government came into effect in 1950. The first Local Government Law was passed by the Western Nigeria in 1952; followed by Lagos Local Council Law of 1953; Northern - 1954; and Eastern Nigeria - 1955. These Laws replaced the Local Government Ordinance in 1950. The methodology adopted to achieve the objective of this paper was a combination of documentary, historical and descriptive approach. The 1979 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which has the same Provisions and Schedules as the 1999 Constitution, raised the status of Local Government Councils to the third tier of the government of the Federation, section 7subsection 1. Section 7subsection 6(a) and (b) provide for the sources of revenue to the Councils. Apart from the foregoing provisions 011 sources of revenue to the Councils, section 162 subsections 3, 5 and 6provide crippling constraints on the freedom of the Councils to have direct access, without recourse to the State Governments, 10 the funds allocated to them from the Federation Account. Since the meager internally generated revenue of the Councils cannot sustain ten per cent of the development needs of the Councils, their inability to have direct access to their major source of revenue accounts for their ineffectiveness in most respects. This paper recommends the removal of section 6, subsections 3, 5 and 6from the Constitution for the Councils to be responsive to the needs of their localities.

Item Type:	Book Section
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) L Education > L Education (General)
Divisions:	Faculty of Management and Social Sciences
Depositing User:	miss ifeoma agbo
Date Deposited:	06 Aug 2018 13:13
Last Modified:	06 Aug 2018 13:13
URI:	http://eprints.gouni.edu.ng/id/eprint/582

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