By Akintola Benson-Oke

WITHOUT any doubts whatsoever, the proper administration of the Local Government system is the fastest and most reliable way to bring development and the gains of democracy closest to the people of Lagos State.

This is why it is important for civil servants who advise the government on policies to be grounded in the modalities for the administration of Local Government system in order to be able to review existing procedures and advise on future proposals. It is important to point out that the Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, has once again demonstrated his commitment to stimulating the development of the State from the grassroots.

Ambode

In approving training, the governor is again attempting to call attention to the importance of this tier of government and the need for civil servants to fully understand and appreciate its potentials and challenges.

In this opening address, I will point you all to the critical areas that this training will cover with a view to stimulating your interest the more in this endeavour.

It is important to appreciate the importance of the local government administration in any political and governance structure. Without doubt, it is the foundation on which the superstructure of the state is based and the most effective tier of government to meet the basic needs of the citizens as it is the tier closest to the people.

Indeed, nothing exists in vacuum and, as is famously attributed to Lord Denning, the late great English jurist, you cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand.  In the same way, we cannot expect the central governments to effectively govern when the smaller units are not properly administered.

It is thus my hope that you will fully appreciate that it is futile to suppose that a federal system can function efficiently and effectively by concentrating focus, powers and resources in the central government to the detriment of the federating states and local governments are gravely mistaken or mischievously deluded.

I am glad to note that this training will also cover the history of local government administration in Nigeria starting from the systems in place before the advent of the colonialists.  The objective of the colonialists in establishing the Native Authorities was simply the maintenance of law and order and the perpetuating of British rule through the now well-documented system of indirect rule. Subsequent development in the system of local government administration were also designed, not to create or promote development, but to implement the policies of a higher governing structure which, at one time, was the colonial government and later, the regional, central, state and federal governments, as the case may be.

It is important to examine the ideal and basic concepts that ought to define an efficient and effective local government administration system. Such administration must be democratic, having been elected by the people, representative of the people and devoted to the advancement of the interests of the people; such administration must reflect the principles of the doctrine of the Separation of Powers in having at the minimum, the executive arm distinct from the legislative arm; and such administration must be based on the rule of law, which law must incorporate a charter on the fundamental rights of the people.

It is necessary  to consider the arguments for and against the indispensability of the local government system. Participants will also be led to articulate the role of the system in the democratic and political functioning of the state. A deep appreciation of these considerations and argument is a sine qua non for any civil servant who will advise the government on local government administration matters. After the exercises on this point, participants will be invited to discuss and highlight the cardinal parameters or foundational imperatives that must be in existence in order for the arguments in favour of the local government system to hold.

Participants will realise that only a system where the people see local government administrations as responsible, empowered and people-oriented tiers of government can result in the institution of an effective system.  Such a system will make it easier for the state government to dispel the impression that the local administration is populated by the not-so-savvy class and almost irrelevant to the people’s daily lives in terms of its powers and constitutional responsibilities.

This training will also focus on the history of the administration of the local government system in Lagos State since its creation in 1976. Participants will be led to appreciate and examine the structural and constitutional limitations on the effectiveness of the local government system, the heroic struggle of Lagos State Government in opposing the federal government’s attempt to frustrate the legitimate exercise of constitutional powers of establishing and regulating local governments, and the Lagos State’s judicial victory at the Supreme Court which validates the rightly held view that, in a federal system, the central government does not have the powers to withhold funds due to any of the federating units.

Moving on, this training will then identify the challenges confronting local government administration in Lagos State. Participants will find that, the challenge of unemployment and its impact on the welfare of the people at the grassroots and on the maintenance of law and order there deserve a special attention.

Again, participants will be in the position to appreciate the relevance and importance of the initiative of the administration of Governor Akinwunmi Ambode in founding the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund. Better appreciation of the challenges at the local government level will enable civil servants to better advise the state government on similar initiatives that could be directed at tackling these challenges.

This training will also focus on the adequacy or otherwise of the constitutional provisions relating to local government administration. Participants will deliberate on the impact of the failure of the constitution to prescribe the tenure of local government governments.

Is this an omission that should be remedied or an appropriate omission? Given the peculiarity of the local government system as the tier closest to the people and given the diversity of Nigeria, is it the right approach is for each state to be constitutionally competent to legislate on the local government administration system considered most appropriate and suitable to the needs of her people? Similarly, what is the current position on the regulation and disbursement of local government finances?

Out of the different possible models, which one should be adopted by Lagos State and how has the current model fared? These and other similar questions will be posed and attempted in the course of this training.

Participants will also be invited to discuss the differences between the political and administrative structures at the local government level in Lagos State.  This is a very important area of interest that should be carefully studied by all stakeholders. In examining the relationship between these structures, one must acknowledge that there is bound to be friction between the political structure and the administrative structure consisting of career administrators.  This, in my view, is similar to the ever-present friction between political office holders and civil servants.  A framework may then be required to serve as a code of conduct of sorts at the local government level. Thus, the civil servants who will formulate this framework must have proper understanding of the issues.

Dr. Akintola, Benson Oke,

Honourable Commissioner, Lagos State Ministry of Establishments, Training and Pensions