Chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission (FCSC), Prof. Tunji Olaopa, has urged a reform of the nation’s Local Government Service Commissions (LGSCs) for effective delivery of governance at the grassroots.

Olaopa spoke yesterday during the national summit of the Association of Chairmen of Local Government Service Commissions in Nigeria, with the theme, “Local Government Administration in Nigeria,” in Abuja.

While highlighting the nexus between local administration and service to the people, Olaopa noted that for the “LGSC to support rather than undermine local government autonomy, several reforms will be essential.”

According to him, if the LGSC is retained, then the criteria for its composition would necessarily change, so the new stakeholders and the LGs’ representatives that constitute the core of its membership and leadership.

Similarly, the LGSC, in its operation, he said, would necessarily change to create ample room for end-users and new local government chairmen and councillors to exercise their delegated powers and functions.

For Olaopa, the alternative is for the LGSC’s role to be redefined so it is limited to setting standards and monitoring, while local governments handle their own day-to-day staff administration.