Page 94 - DUT ICGA Abstract Book

LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND ALIENATION OF THE GRASSROOTS IN NIGERIA’S FOURTH REPUBLIC
Celestine Jombo PhD (corresponding author)
Department of Public Administration Adekunle Ajasin University AkungbaAkoko Ondo State Nigeria Email: greatcelexo@yahoo com celestine jombo@aaua edu ng Omololu Fagbadebo PhD Department of of Public Management Law and Economics Durban University of of Technology Riverside Campus Email: otomololu@yahoo com Abstract
Local government government government as as the the third tier of government government government in Nigeria is commonly conceived as as the the government government government closest to the the the people at at the the the grassroots However the the the current status of local government in this republic indicates they are so-called only in in nomenclature Evidences abound that the the present structure and operation of local government in Nigeria are are not only far away from the people but are are substantially disconnected from the the the the grassroots In most local governments across the the the the states of the the the the federation the the the the practice of handpicking local government leadership by state governors rather than selection through election by the the grassroots people as as provided for in the the 1999 Constitution is counter-productive It also negates the very essence of participatory local government as catalysts for rural development and and bulwarks of popular participation at at at the grassroots The study utilised data from both primary and and secondary sources to examine and analyse the present status of of local government in in in Nigeria in in in terms of of their leadership ascendancy and grassroots portfolios The findings showed there is a a a a a a a a a a gradual alienation of of the the the the grassroots people from the the the the activities of of their local governments as as they continually lose faith in in the the capacity of local government to bring about the the much desired popular participation and grassroots development The paper therefore canvassed for for for immediate and genuine reforms in in in the the administration of local local government in fin in in Nigeria most especially redefining the the interface between local local councils and their respective state governments KEYWORDS: Alienation Grassroots Development Democracy Popular participation 92 7th International Conference on on on Governance and Accountability (ICGA) 2022