DECENTRALIZATION AND DEVELOPMENT: THE ROLE OF LOCAL

GOVERNMENT AUTONOMY ENHANCING GRASS ROOT GROWTH IN NIGERIA

ADENIJI AHMOD ADEYEMI

MATRIC NUMBER: 211003156

A LONG ESSAY SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCES,

FACULTY OF THE SOCIAL SCIENCES, EKITI STATE UNIVERSITY, ADO-EKITI.

EKITI STATE, NIGERIA.

IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF

BACHELOR OF SCIENCE ([Link].) DEGREE IN POLITICAL SCIENCE

JUNE, 2025
 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

[Link] to the Study

Local government stands as the third tier of government according to the Nigerian Constitution

which aims to establish direct access to civic governance by people. Local governments have

limited potential because state governments maintain control over policy decisions through

excessive oversight (Oviasuyi, Idada, & Isiraojie, 2010).

Decentralization refers to the systematic delegation of authority and responsibility from central

to subordinate levels of government or institutions. Three dimensions form the basis of

decentralization including political arrangement and administrative structure and fiscal autonomy

(World Bank, 2001). The distribution of decision authority forms the basis of political

decentralization but administrative decentralization means handing out planning together with

implementation duties. The decentralization of public finances occurs when authorities award

budgetary control along with self-generated taxes and management of spending capabilities

(Rondinelli, Nellis & Cheema, 1983).

Federal systems like Nigeria’s benefit from decentralization for the purpose of enhancing

governance and service delivery and improving local citizen participation. The utilization of

well-designed decentralization systems leads to improved objective achievement by

strengthening local governance accountability along with increasing transparency and raising

local participation in decision-making procedures (Fatile & Adejuwon, 2010). Nigeria

demonstrates through its practice that theory and reality stand as distant entities. Local

government councils hold constitutional establishment yet lack capacity because their resources
are limited and officials face leadership interference through flawed institutional structures

(Ajibulu, 2018).

Public governance at the local level in Nigeria remains ineffective primarily because local

governments lack true autonomy. The ability of local governments to work autonomously

represents their power to take decisions and execute them on their own particularly for

administrative operations and financial management and political authority. The existing pattern

of state government control which extends to managing joint bank accounts has severely

undermined the operational power of local institutions. The excessive state intervention creates

administrative problems and execution delays and reduces local accountability which ultimately

damages the achievements of development targets (Olanipekun, 2014).

The requirement for enhanced local government autonomy has Intensified because officials now

acknowledged that central planning methods and execution strategies have not resolved rural

underdevelopment and unemployment alongside poverty. Local governments maintain enhanced

autonomy because it serves as a dual tool for better service delivery and grassroots democracy

development with community-oriented growth (Adeyemo, 2005). Local governments need to

take direct responsibility for offering basic healthcare together with basic education and rural

roads and water supply as well as other key public services which directly affect daily

community life (Ogunna, 1996).

Under Section 7 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution, the government maintains its commitment to

support local government through democratic council election. Local councils face ongoing

functional and political hurdles because state governors often suspend elected councils, federal

funding delays occur and internal management skills fall short (Ezeani, 2006). Multiple factors

combined to block the achievement of local governments as key development engines. Local
councils struggle to assist their communities because their low fiscal capacity and substantial

revenue loss from corruption and leakages makes them ineffectual (Ola & Tonwe, 2009).

This research investigates the impact that higher local governmental independence and

capabilities would have on Nigeria’s national development targets. The research investigates how

decentralized governance relates to improved socioeconomic performance at basic administrative

levels. The research drives from a need to study the operating condition of local government

autonomy across Nigeria and discover institutional barriers that block efficient performance

while offering recommendations for change. A proper implementation of decentralization creates

a strong force that drives both local community improvement together with political fair

representation and national unity among all regions.

[Link] of the Problem

Nigeria has established federal governance as well as three levels of government within its

constitution the actual decentralization process exists in shallow forms with few concrete actions.

Local governments Enables development in the local government areas naturally because the

local government leaders are closer to the people but may not be able to function properly, due to

the fact that they cannot operate without the help of the state government.

According to decentralization principles the government should approach the people more

directly to enable democratic participation and better serve local communities. Nigeria’s local

governments encounter regular disrespect from state governments that control operations and

provide insufficient funding and exercise political dominance. The Joint State-Local Government

Account system maintains local government dependency which prevents local area innovation

while damaging their responsiveness and accountability for development services. Many local
governments across Nigeria face management challenges stemming from insufficient

infrastructure together with weak institutional capabilities along with insufficient human capital

and physical assets and thus fail to serve their residents’ developmental requirements. Rural areas

suffer from extreme underdevelopment as the democratic process creates high levels of poverty

together with unemployment and declines in public confidence.

The issues of decentralization Explores the weak areas in Nigeria’s political structure. The local

government needs to be political and financially independent in other to ensure a stable

economy at the grassroots level of politics.

[Link] Questions

1. What is the level of political autonomy given to the local governments officials by the state

government to operates properly?

2. What prevents the effectiveness of decentralization and local government autonomy across

Nigeria?

3. To what extent has local government autonomy affected the socioeconomic development at

grassroots communities in Nigeria?

[Link] of the Study

The objective of this study are to:

1. Examine Nigeria’s local governments system and the extent to which autonomy is provided

by the state government for the local government leaders to operate Properly.

2. Examine the barriers that prevents the effectiveness of decentralization and local government

autonomy across Nigeria.

development at grassroots communities in Nigeria.

[Link] Assumptions

1. Nigeria’s local governments depend on the Political autonomy provided by the state

government, in other for the local government leaders to operate Properly.

2. There are barriers that prevents the effectiveness of decentralization and local government

autonomy across Nigeria.

3. Local government autonomy has affected the socioeconomic development at grassroots

communities in Nigeria.

[Link]/Significance of the Study

This research study holds significant value because it investigates local government autonomy’s

potential to advance community development throughout Nigeria. The closest tier of government

to the people performs essential duties in service provision and infrastructure development along

with community strength development. The problem of limited political autonomy of the local

government and the state government interference in local government activities has become a

barrier that affects the effectiveness of the local government activities and functions as a tier of

government The research investigates how decentralization supports inclusive development

while encouraging institutional accountability which leads to better rural community needs

satisfaction. Findings in this research provide important knowledge for public officials alongside

development professionals along with scholars who wish to strengthen grassroots democratic

governance and social and economic development.

The research study investigates how local government autonomy affects grassroots development

in Nigeria through an assessment of decentralization policies which shape both service provision

and local infrastructure construction and community involvement at this level. From 1999 until

2024 the Fourth Republic period serves as the research context to evaluate modern democratic

management and decentralization practices. To demonstrate this relationship empirically the

research investigates local government areas across Nigeria. The research concentrates on

examining Nigerian local government areas to derive conclusions that may benefit analogous

federal political structures. A detailed analysis of state or federal governance functions is

excluded from this study yet it examines local government institutions through the lens of their

financing interactions alongside administrative oversight and policy delivery from national and

state authorities.

[Link] to the Study

This research project is carried out by a student which has limited time in school the factor create

a very difficult process. The students are in procession of limited resources and materials to

carryout these process of research. In some cases information provided by respondent on the

questionnaires may not be factual and true for all private and government organization. These

information in some cases may be restricted to some organization and may not cover all the

aspects in view of these study the researcher is limited to evidence that where provided by the

respondent in the research this evidence may not be able to provide reliable and accurate

information.

[Link] of Terms
1. Decentralization: Embedded within decentralization is the method of shifting organization

activities from central control to lower levels of administration such as local government bodies.

2. Development: This process improves life quality together with economic development of

humans especially within underdeveloped areas by delivering basic amenities coupled with

infrastructure and educational opportunities and economic promoting capabilities.

3. Local Government: The Nigerian governmental structure includes Local Government as the

third tier which oversees basic service delivery in local communities. The governmental

organization maintains its operations within specific territorial borders to fulfill governance

responsibilities affecting the entire community.

4. Autonomy: In terms of local government Autonomy represents the freedom local councils

possess to conduct municipal tasks independently through financial authority and organizational

decision-making that stands free from government intervention above their level.

5. Grassroots Growth: The term Grassroots Growth denotes a social and economic

development approach initiated from communities through their efforts at local levels by

increasing civic empowerment and engagement. Local communities maintain primary leadership

roles through this approach to create their development path from the ground up.

1.10. Organization of the Study

The research study would be divided into five chapters. Chapter one would be introduction and

background of the study, the second chapter consist of the literature reviews and theoretical

framework. Under the literature review, various materials that would be used for the study will

be considered. The third chapter would be research methodology while the fourth chapter would
be data analysis and presentation and the last chapter will be findings, recommendation,

conclusion and bibliography.

REFERENCE

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462.

Alao, D. O., Osakede, K. O., & Owolabi, T. Y. (2015). Local government and rural development

in Nigeria: Challenges and prospects. International Journal of Development and

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Amah, E. I. (2018). Democratic decentralization and local governance in Nigeria: Issues and

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