The conference of functionaries and key actors in local government administration which was declared open yesterday, 28th November, 2023 was indeed timely. The conference was timely because being an annual event ritualized to deliberate on issues that have to do with the administration of the third tier of government in Nigeria, was its first since the Tinubu administration came into power and also since the appointment of the
Minister, Hon. Zaphaniah Bitrus Jisalo, as the nation’s Minister for Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs.
This conference which was declared open by the Minister availed the functionaries and key actors in Local Government administration in Nigeria the opportunity to meet face to face with the Minister and get clear on the policy direction of the Tinubu administration as regards the administration of local government in Nigeria and to deliberate on the key topic of the conference which was “The trajectory of local government Administration in Nigeria and the institutional challenges”of the third tier of government.
The Minister in his key speech at the conference left no one in doubt that his appointment was indeed “A Round peg in a round hole”when highlighting the problems and constraints in building capacity to make the local governments a strong institution in delivering development to the people in the grass roots.
Hon.Zaphaniah Jisalo, the Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs is not a novice in local government administration being a two-term local government chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council, A.M.AC, and two term member of house of representative his policy direction in this regard enunciated at the conference was greeted with applause by all because when implemented has the capacity of changing the narratives of local government administration in Nigeria for the good of the citizens.
The local governments in Nigeria which was a creation of the constitution has so far failed in fulfilling its constitutional mandates to the people. So many factors had hampered its development as a tier of government that was deliberately created to bring development closer to the people.
This factor includes political, legal, human and institutional challenges.It is expected that this administration which is headed by a former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is on record as being the governor that reformed local government administration in Lagos state that has led to its being acclaimed as the first state administration to confront head on the challenges in that tier of government which made the state to be regarded as having the best local government system in the country and the Minister who is also on record as the best local government administrator in Nigeria when he served at the Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC. As its chairman would indeed this time around holistically reform the local government system in Nigeria to bring developments in all its physicality to the people.
It is therefore noteworthy to state that this administrator which christened itself the “Renewed hope administration”must do all it can in partnership with the functionaries and key actors of local government administration in the country to put in place measures to address the institutional challenges in that tier of government. This made the conference for this year timely in all its ramifications. It is expected that at the end of the day, the conclusions on issues deliberated upon must be implemented to the later in order for the annual conference to depart from the appellations given it by cynics as an annual event and ritual that has done the nation no good.
Finally, it is important to state that no nation would ever grow without a functional local government system because it is the tier of government that is closer to the people at the grass root especially, in Nigeria where the majority of the people reside. We trust the Minister and the President to put in place workable reforms to make it work better.
Considering the fact that this renewed hope gesture of the Tinubu Administration must be allowed to flow to all the tiers of government as this is a sine-qua-non for the needed developments the nation urgently craved for. These reforms which are expected to be all encompassing must be implemented to depart the nation from the old ways of administering the local government system in the country.
Musa Wada; Media aide to the Minister of special duties and intergovernmental affairs
. TheWitness
