Last weekend, a new set of local government chairmen took the oath of office and were sworn in to take their seats as the newly-elected chairmen of the Local Government Areas and Local Council Development Areas in Lagos State.Judging from the photographs it was an affair awash with pomp and pageantry. The newly-sworn in chairmen were decked out in white Agbadas and red caps to match. They looked like they were at a party, and were clearly in celebratory mode. And that really is what Local Government Administration (LGA) is about in Nigeria. It's one big party! The popular refrain which says the local government is the closest to the grassroots is only true in theory. In practice it's a farce; at least by Nigerian standards. Local governments according to the Constitution have specific roles to play in the community. However, travels around the country will show to the observant eye that the communities they profess to serve are no better then when they first got there. Up North and Down South the issues are the same. The towns and villages are an eye sore. There's no sign that there's any government of any sort in place. The impact on the lives of the people is minimal if not totally absent. The only kinds of activities are procurement and awarding of contract. These two elements transform the premises of the LG into a beehive of activities. There is a lot of procurement and contract awarding going on but in terms of measurable impact and service delivery, LG administration in Nigeria is a failure. Buildings such as health centres are commissioned but lack equipment and or staff. Roads are impassable. The wrangling over funds may be a factor but even so, no LG purse is starved of funds. On the contrary it's the communities which they profess to serve that are starved of development. Travels around rural Nigeria make very interesting notes. Its serves as good inspiration for poetry: 'Lamentations for Nigeria' or Ode to Service Delivery' or even 'Yearning for growth'. The themes are endless. Life is unbearable in the rural communities. It's no exaggeration to say in some cases, it's brutish! Little wonder, dwellers especially the youths leave the towns and come to the urban centres in search of a better quality of living. There's no semblance of any government working. The Chairman is hardly there. Many a time he's overseas understudying how local government administration works out there. Very few chairmen have a good report card.I think people have had enough of the rot that has bedevilled the third tier of government. Relatives in Festac Town , a housing estate once the cynosure of housing estates in Nigeria lament the failure of the Amuwo-Odofin local government area to live up to its pledge. One 'Chair' after another occupies the seat and leaves virtually doing nothing. Shoddy attempts to fix the roads impress for a few months until they collapse again.One of the raging debates is the quality of people who find themselves in that position. Some have never held a public office before. Have no clue about the rudiments of local government administration. For many it's just about sharing the monthly allocation and waiting for the next month end. Local government administration in the UK for example is about providing local services to the people. That's what they preach and that's what is practised. This you can identify the moment you enter any of the Boroughs. The streets are clean, well paved, refuse collection is not politicised. There's an open door system where complaints can be listened to and resolved. Information is widely available and residents know which department to contact in times of difficulties. The LGA serves the entire community and not just those who voted them in. It's about community service; pure and simple. In short there's a whole variety of services. Furthermore there are transparency and accountability. The left hand knows what the right hand is doing. The Head of the Borough is not invisible during his tenure and visible again when elections are around the corner. He lives among the constituents and does not lock himself away in his mansion. He's not the richest man in the Borough either. He dare not. The system in place prevents such free-hand dipping into the till. Local Government administration in Nigeria needs a total shake up and re-orientation. Apart from ironing out the discrepancies in the Constitution, some argue that we are experiencing is a reflection of society. After all, the chairmen are handpicked to contest from amongst the members of a rot-filled society. So what does one expect' Others argue that politics is not for decent people. The kinds of dirty politics witnessed in recent times they say, no decent person will want to be bothered to get involved. Decent people who venture into it come away battered and bruised. There needs to be a fresh look at what local government administration should begin to be about in Nigeria- Service delivery; transparency and accountability; values and due process. All the speeches about sustainable development will not achieve anything until Nigerians face the truth about the issues that are eating at the moral fabric of this country. Any future debates about the challenges Nigeria is faced with must include a forensic examination of the local government as it is practised today. That tier of government is supposed to be about people-service and not i-service!
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