By Henry Obetta

A former chairmanship candidate for Eti-Osa Local Government Area of Lagos State, Mr John Akano, has blamed poor administration, weak accountability and a lack of transparency at the local government level for the reluctance of some state governors to grant full autonomy to local councils.

Akano fingered ghost workers, limited administrative capacity and the use of council positions as rewards for political loyalty as challenges that remain widespread at the local level.

According to Akano, local governments were constitutionally designed to bring democratic governance closer to the people, particularly those in rural and underserved communities.

He, however, said over the years, councils have become financially dependent on state governments, politically controlled and administratively weakened.

He stated this following a landmark Supreme Court judgment granting local governments direct allocation of funds from the Federation Account.

Akano, who cautioned against placing all the blame on state governors, said: “Autonomy alone will not guarantee development. Without strong procurement processes, effective auditing and active citizen oversight at the local level, autonomy may remain a slogan rather than a solution.”

With the enforcement of local government autonomy, governors are expected to lose significant control over the joint state–local government accounts, the allocation of funds to councils, and the appointment of caretaker committees in place of elected local government chairmen.

In several states, including Kogi, Rivers, Imo and Oyo, caretaker committees have been repeatedly used to run council affairs, while in others, such as Benue and Zamfara, salary delays have persisted despite the release of funds from the Federation Account.

Analysts argue that autonomy threatens the existing modus operandi through which governors maintain patronage networks, influence grassroots elections and wield leverage in national political negotiations.