Local Government in Nigeria: Also Called Local Government Authorities (LGAs)

In Nigeria, the term **"Local Government Authority" (LGA)** is the formal administrative designation for what is commonly called "local government." The 1999 Constitution (Section 7) establishes a system of **774 LGAs** across the 36 states and FCT.

Structure

LGA Subdivisions

• Wards: Each LGA divided into 10–20 wards (total ~8,800 nationwide). Councillors elected per ward.
• Districts / Villages / Communities: Traditional/administrative units within wards. Not elective tiers.
• Urban vs. Rural: LGAs can be entirely urban (e.g., Lagos LGAs), entirely rural, or mixed.

Functions (Fourth Schedule, Constitution)

• Primary education (with SUBEB).
• Primary health care (PHCs, immunization).
• Rural roads, markets, motor parks.
• Agricultural extension, veterinary.
• Birth/death/marriage registration.
• Naming streets, numbering houses.
• Cemeteries, burial grounds.
• Control of outdoor advertising, signage.
• Licensing bicycles, trucks, canoes, wheelbarrows.
• Establishment/maintenance of homes for destitute/infirm.

Funding

• Statutory allocation: ~20–25% of Federation Account (shared by population, equality, land mass, terrain, IGR effort).
• State Joint Account: States receive LGA allocations and *should* disburse — often a point of contention (ALGON vs. governors).
• Internally Generated Revenue (IGR): Markets, motor parks, shops, tenement rates — typically <10% of total.

Challenges

• Autonomy: Financial (state control of joint account), administrative (state appoints career staff). 2022 Supreme Court ruling strengthened financial autonomy — implementation ongoing.
• Capacity: Weak technical staff, poor record-keeping, ghost workers.
• Corruption: Diversion of allocations, contract inflation.
• Service delivery: Many LGAs non-functional; PHCs unstaffed, roads impassable.

Reform Efforts

• LGA autonomy legislation (2022–24).
• Direct funding pilots (FCT, some states).
• Digital payroll (IPPIS), biometric verification.
• Community-driven development (CDD) models.

LGAs are Nigeria's **closest government to the people** — constitutionally empowered, practically constrained. Strengthening them is central to decentralized development.