The Need for Formidable Local Government Structures
When in 2004 local government was reinstituted in the country after almost three decades of its death in the 70’s, the prospect to attainment of a government of the people wherein the government is taken to the people at grassroots and make them to actively partake in decision making; was very exciting and development oriented at best.
The drafting of the local government of 2004 formed the basis for the establishment of local governments throughout the country that constituted of district, chiefdom and municipality councils. Each of these councils was to operate in semi autonomy but in furtherance of the overall objective laid by the central government to suit their various need and aspirations.
That severed as the very essence of the devolution of functions and funds from line ministries to local councils whilst they were also empowered to generate income for development purpose.
If all this worked, it meant that development in the very sense of it was to start at grass root level where it is actually needed. But appallingly through, not much of this has seen come to fusion or even on queue to coming to the expected realization.
A look at the structure of the local government system in the country would have one realize that despite the apparent stride by government and its development partners, to strengthen its capacity, most still lack the need capacity and some grossly incapable to implement functions that devolved to them. Man power and human resource form the fundamental crux of the problem which according a recent civil society assessment leaves many of such projects unachieved and illusive.
The truth is, the country was ill-prepared especially at local government level when the concept was introduced and that much has not been done yet to bring consistency into the development of the human resource of the various councils as the recent study council as the most capable primarily because it has maintained consistency in its technical staff.
The other trouble stems from the fact the councils are not knowledgeable in most of the project that is granted them to implement and as such monitoring and evaluation becomes a problem. At the end of the day, most of the project mostly infrastructural (roads, schools and community holding) turn out to be white elephants.
This news is discouraging and very counter productive to the very essence of the establishment of the local government system in the country; a situation that will undoubtedly rob the country of its meager resources that is never even enough to warrant such wastage. Â Â
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