Local Government

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Local government

Meaning of local government

The local government is the last or third level of government in a federation like Nigeria. The levels of government in a federation are the Federal, State and Local governments. The local government is a body of people who control public affairs at the grassroots. It can also be called the nearest or closest government to the people in any community.

Importance of the local government

1. It brings government nearer to the people.
2. It spreads development to all the people in the community.
3. It is a kind of self-government at the local level because it is the local people that control it.
4. It is a training ground for future leaders, who may later serve at state and federal levels in the future.
5. It educates the people at the grassroots level about the programmes and
6. It promotes the people’s culture and tradition.
7. It is a bridge between the people and the government.

Duties of the local government

1. It maintains law and order in the community.
2. It collects rates and gives licences for bicycles, trucks, canoes, wheelbarrows, carts, television sets, radio sets, etc.
3. It constructs and maintains local roads called Trunk C
4. It maintains drains, parks, open spaces, and other public facilities, such as recreation centres.
5. It names roads and streets, and numbers homes.
6. It registers births, deaths, and marriages.
7. It provides and maintains health services, e.g. dispensaries, health centres and maternity centres.
8. It establishes and maintains cemeteries and homes for the homeless.
9. It provides other social amenities, like water and market stalls.

Problems of local governments

1. Financial problem is a major problem of many local governments. They often do not have enough money to perform their duties.
2. Many local governments depend too much or completely on the money received from both the state and federal governments. They cannot raise money within the local environment, and this does not allow them to perform well.
3. There is often corruption in the local government. Many of the workers and officials spend government money to buy cars and houses of their own, hence they cannot execute projects that the communities will benefit from.
4. Poor quality of staff is another problem of local governments. There are not enough qualified staff at this level of government. Therefore, they do not give the good results that is expected of them.

 

Quiz

Answer the following questions:

1. Explain the meaning of local government.
2. Mention three duties of the local government.
3. Give two reasons why projects are not executed in local governments.
4. Mention three local governments in your state.

 

 

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