What is it about?
Local administrations are expected to provide and maintain municipal infrastructure, utilities and services. We examined the situation in Ile-Ife, Nigeria and found that the local administrations in the city lacked requisite political and financial autonomy. Often, residents contribute financially towards the construction and maintenance of road infrastructure in their neighbourhoods.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
Corruption and the undue political influence were among the major culprits behind the poor performance of local administrations in Ile-Ife. This was a reflection of what obtained in the entire state. With a view to ensuring improvement in local road infrastructure delivery in the state, proffered recommendations include: (i) the granting of full autonomy to the local government, (ii) clamping down on corruption for effectiveness in local government administration, and (iii) the consideration of viability in creating new local councils.
Perspectives
This article is one of the few works in Nigeria that empirically address the ills of lack of political autonomy in local governance. It presents a veritable tool for bringing sanity into local governance and can be adopted as a modelling tool for overhauling local governance not only in the state but also in the entire country. Writing it was a fulfilling academic exercise as it constitutes a significant community service.
Dr Olorunfemi Ayodeji Olojede
Obafemi Awolowo University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Residents’ assessment of local government road infrastructure delivery in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, Local Economy The Journal of the Local Economy Policy Unit, June 2019, SAGE Publications,
DOI: 10.1177/0269094219857044.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
