LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTONOMY AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL AREAS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

The cardinal drawing force of this study is to examine local government autonomy and socio-economic development in Nigeria. The paper views local government as that government which is saddled with the core responsibility of engendering transformational changes in the rural areas of Nigeria. Although the local government is lagging far behind as a result of unwarranted interference by other tiers of government on its functioning or activities, thus, the need for local government autonomy for its efficient as well as effective operation. Also, the failure of the interfering tiers of government in Nigeria to meet the socio-economic complexities experiences rapid growth as well as changes in development, gave rise to the need and agitation for local government autonomy as a way of engendering socioeconomic development in rural areas in Nigeria. The paper adopted principally a descriptive method of analysis of the general need for local government autonomy and socio-economic development in Nigeria. This is quite necessary due to the increasing emphasis of rural development of communities and transformation. The findings of the study reveals that financial, political as well as administrative autonomy of the local government areas is desired to empower the local governments succeed in their goal for effective and sustainable transformation of rural areas in Nigeria. Thus, the paper recommended that government should do the needful to grant all the local governments in Nigeria full autonomy to bring about the much desired socioeconomic development of rural areas in Nigeria.