For many years running citizens have demanded that the autonomy provided in our constitution be made functional in the affairs of that tier of government and for so long odds have been placed on. Sep 03, 2017 does the granting of full autonomy to the local government enhance its service delivery. There is a major headway for the autonomy sought by local governments in nigeria, a major development that will put the nation on the path to true federalism. Autonomous government synonyms, autonomous government pronunciation, autonomous government translation, english dictionary definition of autonomous government. Ordinarily, federalism involves a two tier system centralunion government at the first level and the stateprovincial government at the second level.
In conclusion, the authors pointed out that lack of independence of the local governments is as a result of lack of fiscal autonomy which in turn explains the. Selfgovernance is closely related to sociophilosophical concepts of selfcontrol and selfdiscipline, and to sociopolitical concepts of sovereignty, independence and autonomy. Economic impact of local government autonomy and fund. This is despite the fact that autonomy is one of the prerequisites for a smooth running of the local government system.
In the forward of the guidelines for the 1979 local government reforms, it was clearly stated that, the states have continued to encroach upon what would have been the exclusive preserve of local governments. The paper, therefore, suggests a new focus in which the emphasis should be on the desirability or otherwise of substantial autonomy for local governments in nigeria. Catalan flags are flown outside houses in barcelona by catalonian spaniards who desire a separate, autonomous catalon state. It is a subordinate government, which derives its existence. Fiscal autonomy is part of the institutional arrangement such as responsibility and revenue assignment in which the different levels of government operate. The concept that sums up this aspect of government is state capacity. The paper will also examine some of the inherent factors inhibiting local government autonomy in nigeria. Local government autonomy news latest breaking stories. Pdf local government autonomy and its effectiveness in. Why local governments should be given autonomy why local governments should be given autonomy on august 14, 20 12. Local government and fiscal autonomy for local government. Decentralization and the increased autonomy in local governments.
This is with a view to understanding the intricacies of the fundamental problem of local government autonomy in nigeria. The study adopted secondary source of collecting data. In designating such a center, the local government unit concerned shall take into account the existing facilities of national and local agencies and offices which may serve as the government center as contemplated under this section. The main aim is to catalogue the range of potential pressures that can lead to local government autonomy and thus create a better platform to understand how and why decentralization occurs. Conducted from october 2014 to november 2015, this study aimed at creating a local autonomy index lai to analyse and report changes in the extent of decentralisation in countries of the european union. By that i mean the local government should be put in check. Government autonomy index that can be used as a variable in future research. I want to say that the autonomy of local government is a good idea. But there are some portions of the 1999 constitution that need to be touched to be in line with the autonomy of the local government. Without autonomy, the third tier of government cannot perform their.
Model and determinants of statelocal governments relations in. Issues and problems in decentralization and local autonomy. The prime attribute of local government is the authority to endorse legislation in specific control and hence autonomy is enjoyed in a measured way. For, especially in explaining personal autonomy as selfgovernment, usually more is implied by the notion of self than a simple statement that the person being governed is the same as the one doing the governing. By state constitutional and or general law provisions, 48 states grant home rule au thority to municipalities and 37 states grant such powers to counties. This article explores the driving forces behind local government autonomy and the arguments that are often presented for and against its use. C wheare, is the method of dividing powers so that the central and regional governments are each, within a sphere, coordinate and independent. In particular, much literature attributes dillons rule with enormous influence over many and varied local government functions. In this paper we present a working definition of local government autonomy based on. Feb 04, 2017 in ontario canada, local governements, municipalities are creations of the provinces. The crisis of local government autonomy in nigeria is a recurrent issue. Autonomous government definition of autonomous government.
For all its rhetorical appeal, the meaning of local autonomy remains opaque. The topical issue of local government lg autonomy in nigeria in relation to the development of the localities, the raison detre of lgs, has been examined in this paper. How much autonomy this third tier of government possesses is unclear and uncertain to the extent that it engenders the problem of meas urement. In this paper we present a working definition of local government autonomy based on dimensions. Read all the latest news, breaking stories, top headlines, opinion, pictures and videos about local government autonomy from nigeria and the world on today. The autonomy concept which is defined in the european charter of local self government as the right and opportunity for the local governments within the limits laid down by the laws to. Mercurio, md, ma, faap overview participants will discuss the application of widely accepted principles of medical ethics in. Assembly that a bill seeking for local governments financial autonomy. Local autonomy is desired by the left and the right, yet is compromised by many laws administered by higher tiers of the state. Apr 25, 2017 politics what is an autonomous government. Local government and fiscal autonomy for local government in. The politics of local government autonomy in nigeria reloaded felix akpan, phd okonette ekanem department of public administration, university of calabar, nigeria abstract the politics of local government in nigeria reloaded has been inspired by the 20 constitution amendment process initiated by the national assembly.
Connecting individual autonomy and l ocal self determination with demo cracy prepared for the american political scie nce association annual meeting and. On 27 june 2014 the committee published its report on the flexibility and autonomy in local government. Why local governments should be given autonomy vanguard news. The quest or agitation for local government autonomy has been a recurring decimal in the evolution of the nigerian federation.
The paper examines local government and intergovernmental relations in nigeria. Finally, by using our local government autonomy index and factors as independent variables in a regression model we find they are highly useful for. Pdf local government lg is an intermediary player between the federal authority and the grassroots in a given society. For instance, political or areal decentralization in nigeria can be seen in the division of the country into federal, state, local government and possible community government levels. The three regional governments enacted the northern, western and eastern nigeria local government laws of 1954 respectively. The paper examined a comparative analysis of local government autonomy and democratic governance in nigeria and usa. If local governments should be granted autonomy it will be a welcome idea. Extant studies have largely failed to probe why state governments persistently failed to respect constitutional provisions on local government autonomy. It has been accepted for inclusion in faculty publications by an authorized administrator of sfa scholarworks. This article is brought to you for free and open access by the government at sfa scholarworks. Nov 10, 2016 assembly that a bill seeking for local governments financial autonomy. The government will implement the decentralization reform, in accordance with the european charter of local autonomy, as an improvement of the quality of governance in direction of efficiency and effectiveness, as well in direction of strengthening accountability and increased autonomy of local government units. Federalism in nigeria and local government autonomy. Local government autonomy news latest breaking stories and.
The local autonomy law, chihojichiho, passed by the house of representatives and the house of peers on march 28, 1947 and promulgated as law no. Economic impact of local government autonomy and fund management a study of enugu north local government area 19902015. This article describes three factors that are essential for the success of academic self government. Autonomy refers to the capacity and right of a country or other jurisdiction to govern itself. These include representative lgs, the size of lgs, revenue, and personnel. Academic autonomy as a lifelong learning process for. Academic autonomy as a lifelong learning process for universities sijbolt noorda universities need a fair degree of autonomy to be able to fulfil their mission well. A common way to compare and assess fiscal autonomy is the extent to which resources and responsibilities are under the control of local and regional governments. Issues and problems in decentralization and local autonomy in the philippines.
The european charter on local autonomy defines local selfgovernment as the. It is important to note that the federal government has over the years joined in ensuring that the local government have its autonomy. Local government administration in nigeria has been in existence since 1972 and its primary function is to bring government nearer to. Local government administration in nigeria has been in existence since 1972 and its primary function is to bring government nearer to the people at the grassroots. Autonomy, beneficence, and the rights of parents and children. Local government autonomy as an imperative for true. Newport news, va official website official website. Proceeding from theoretical framework and conceptualizations for clearer understanding, the paper discusses some dominant autonomy issues. We also use cluster analysis to create a classification scheme for different forms of local government autonomy. Theoretical perspective of local government literature.
Drawing upon a conceptual framework developed to guide comparing systems of local governments. Home rule for municipal and county governments is now available in most states. The nigerian senators on wednesday voted in support of the local government autonomy which is part of the areas up for amendment in the 1999 constitution. Yet autonomy in itself is not sufficient for success. Local government autonomy and development of localities in. From the administrative law it was defined the local governance definition.
Usurpation of powers of local governments by the state. Local autonomy is a term that is frequently employed in both academic and popular discussions of local government, but it is rarely defined conceptually in a careful way or operationalised and subject to empirical research. Federalism, constitutionalism, and local government. Invariably, effective autonomy and igr that respects the powers and rights of. Introduction many people think of and discuss local governments in nigeria as being autonomous. A continuous and current discussion opek ozkal sayan and barouovgun ankara university, turkey. Pdf dillons rule is from mars, home rule is from venus. Jul, 2018 local autonomy would be when some government entity is allowed the ability to set up their own rules, for those things happening within their confines. He believes that those who define government in terms of management tend to minimize the distinction between public and private. Abstract local governments are not sovereign unlike independent nationstates. It revealed that there is a remarkably difference between local government autonomy and democratic governance in. Thus, the broad objective of this research work is to assess the nigerian federalism and local government autonomy.
An evaluation with abstract, chapter 15, references and questionnaire. The core points in the 1976 reforms were as follows. European scientific journal december 20 edition vol. Dispersal of power and autonomy from center to local access to government institutions less government engage private sector and civil society in governance recognize the key role of lgu in poverty reduction and service delivery and the attainment of the mdgs. The process of democratizing local government administration started as far back as 1954. But the indian constitution provides for a three tier. The framework for local government autonomy was put in place at least in a formal sense but the. The study further shows that in nigeria, the kind of autonomy the federal and state governments transfer to the local government is largely shaped by ethnicity and. The new york state department of state division of local government services assistslocalcitizensandlocalo. An overview of local government autonomy and its functions in. It revealed that there is a remarkably difference between local government autonomy and democratic governance in nigeria and usa. The local councils can hardly be developmental, just as they are practically tied to the apron strings of the state by the constitution. A local government cannot proclaim any bylaw, regulation or take action unless it is so authorized by the ontario municipal act.
Characteristics of forms of autonomy sfa scholarworks. In other words, what are the defining characteristics of local government autonomy. In strengthening local government autonomy, the government commitment to the cause of local government autonomy was demonstrated by the babangida administration when it was announced that the share of local governments from the federation account was increased from 10% to 15% in 1991 and then to 20% at the expense of the state government. Dillons rule and home rule are terms often used to denote limited and expansive local government autonomy, respectively. Chapter 2 meaning, nature and scope of local governments india has the distinction of being a unique federal country. Local government autonomy is meant the freedom of the local government to recruit and manage its own staff, raise and manage its own finances, make policies, laws and provide services within the limits of its resources and functions without interference. This paper examined the utility of the local government autonomy as a vehicle for redressing the overbearing powers of the state governments over local. Inquiry into the flexibility and autonomy of local government. Apr 09, 2014 dispersal of power and autonomy from center to local access to government institutions less government engage private sector and civil society in governance recognize the key role of lgu in poverty reduction and service delivery and the attainment of the mdgs. Local authority a local authority, sometimes also referred to as a municipal authority, is a term that refers to a rural and urban political subdivision below the national. By ochereome nnanna it will fail for the simple reason that autonomy for local. Public administration and local autonomy public management theory approaches 117 another strong argument in the demarcation between administration and management has been offered by professor d. National college of public administration and governance university of the philippines, diliman, philippines. Local government autonomy in nigeria kamlaraj enterprises.
Bus stop parliament why local governments should be given autonomy why local governments should be given autonomy on august 14, 20 12. Clark department of geography, the university of chicago, chicago il 60637 abstract. The autonomy of local governments and the place of the 4th. Yet constitutionalisation of local government or the so called third tier status of local government is meant to at least solve the problem of democracy and autonomy. Local government and intergovernmental relations in nigerias. The scope and future of local government autonomy in nigeria. In america, in this day and age, there are very few things where local autonomy actually occurs. Local government handbook new york department of state.