Local Governments as Engines of Grassroots Development

By Okoi Obono-Obla 

Local Governments as Engines of Grassroots Development

Revenue Accountability
One of the most visible and tangible outcomes of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s bold reform agenda is the increased revenue allocations to local government councils across Nigeria. The President has rightly urged Nigerians not only to demand accountability from him but also to apply the same scrutiny to local governments. These councils must demonstrate, with clear data and concrete physical projects, how they have utilized the huge sums consistently received from the Federation Account since 2023.

Grassroots Challenges
Local governments should be the first line of response to the monumental challenges confronting our people—healthcare, sanitation, education, roads, and more. Yet, when citizens demand accountability, they are often wrongly perceived as troublesome, dismissed as petition writers, or accused of pulling others down. Activists are derided, persecuted, prosecuted, humiliated, maligned, and unfairly labeled with unprintable expletives.

The reality is that we all suffer from bad governance and purposeless leadership when local governments fail in their duties. Too often, Nigerians expect the federal government to do everything, while local councils neglect responsibilities that should ordinarily be theirs.

The Phoenix Awakening
The 774 local government areas in Nigeria must become centres of development, innovation, and enterprise in agriculture, industry, environmental growth, healthcare, and indeed all facets of progress envisioned by the framers of the Constitution. Real and tangible development can only begin when local government councils awaken from their self-induced state of comatose and lethargy, and rise like the phoenix—renewed, purposeful, and determined to serve the people.

Conclusion
For Nigeria to truly progress, accountability must cascade down to the grassroots. Local governments must rise to the challenge, justify their allocations, and deliver visible improvements in the lives of ordinary citizens. Only then can governance be meaningful, inclusive, and transformative.