IT is no longer news that Local Government administration in the country has failed, in terms of performance. What perhaps, is needed urgently is the repositioning of the third-tier of government to meet the needs and aspiration of the people at the grassroots.

From recent observations, local councils constitute the weakest tier of government and no thanks to three reasons: autonomy, incompetent leadership and the usage of caretaker officials.

Political analysts say the primary objective of creating the third-tier is to ensure that governance gets to the grassroots; however, this is gradually being eroded, as councils have turned to avenue for siphoning of public funds. In fact, majority of the councils have failed in terms of service delivery.
 
The Guardian observed that in each of the states, only few have provided infrastructural developments at the grassroots, while the rest have succeeded in embezzling the council funds ahead of their bigger political ambitions.
 
It is an understatement to note that the local councils are not performing and have failed to touch lives at the grassroots for which they were created.

Some of the Chairmen told The Guardian that they are being starved of fund, considering the allocation they get from their state governors. They blame the Local Government/State Joint Account as the major debacle that has further affected their finances, and indirectly impeded their performances.

However, the Ogun State Commissioner for Culture and Tourism, Muyiwa Oladipo, who is the immediate past Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, has debunked the claim that councils are being starved of fund.

He said the problem stems from the dwindling allocation from the Federal Government, and because majority of the councils depend solely on the allocation, they are not able to embark on any project after paying staff salaries.

According to the Special Adviser to the Lagos State Governor on Communication and Community Affairs, a former council chairman, Mr. Kehinde Bamigbetan, the major problem confronting councils is the issue of revenue allocation formula that is skewed against the third-tier of government. He added that despite being the closest to the citizens, it has the least allocation.

Bamigbetan also identified years of dictatorship and non-payment of rates by citizens to the councils’ purse as other challenges that are responsible for their poor service delivery.

Oladipo urged President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that the independence of local governments is guaranteed and also the need to review the revenue sharing formula of the three tiers.