Analysis of Local Governments’ Service Delivery in Ondo State and Selected South West States of Nigeria

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume II, Issue V, May 2018 | ISSN 2454-6186

Analysis of Local Governments’ Service Delivery in Ondo State and Selected South West States of Nigeria

Dr. Fasunwon Adebayo Folorunso¹, Akungba Akoko²

 ¹Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria
²Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Faculty of Social and Management Sciences, Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba Akoko, Ondo State, Nigeria

Abstract: – The 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria identifies the Local Government as the third tier of government, and thus an instrument for the achievement of sustainable development at the grassroots. Certain basic functions are therefore ascribed to it by the constitution. Many researchers have been conducted on the performance of local governments in Nigeria, and other political systems in world. However, these researches have not used the constitutional functions of the local government as basis for the appraisal of the local government. Using the survey research method, this study not only seeks to investigate respondents’ perception on the extent to which local government had performed their constitutional roles in the South Western part of Nigeria, but also to compare and identify if there is any difference between the oil and non oil producing states of the region. The study discovered that the performance level of local governments is still below and expectation, and that there is a minimal difference in the local governments’ performance at both the oil and non oil producing states of the South West region of Nigeria. The study recommends that local government staff should be trained on their constitutional roles, and also local government administrations should be financially empowered to carry out their expected roles.

Keywords: Development, performance, comparison, grassroots, constitution.

I. INTRODUCTION

In most societies of the world, development programs and agenda have often been an offshoot of the needs and demands of the people at the local levels. Thus, in most cases, the efficiency of governance is measured by the extent to which the developmental and survival needs of the people at the local levels have been met and or neglected. This understanding therefore to a large extent underscores the arguments of the Efficiency-Service Schools of thought on the necessity of local governments in any nation of the world.

According to this school of thought, the essential function of local government is not restricted to democratic socialization and practice but the provision of essential services to the people in accordance to the needs and demands of the people in that geographical area (W.J.M, 1954). It is the provision of these services that therefore determines if government is successful or not; responsive or repulsive; and whether it is welfaristic or predatory.

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