1.1 Introduction
Local governments are created with the ultimate goal of bringing government closer to the people at the grassroots. In Nigeria, the local government reforms aimed both to accelerate development and to enable the local population participates and holds those in power accountable for their governance roles. However, a true third tier has never taken off in the governance structure of Nigeria, despite the widespread endorsement of local government as a potent system to mobilize people for local participation in governance. Several studies have established the challenges bedeviling the Nigerian local government system, including issues such as poor funding, paucity of human capital, corruption, and poor service delivery.
As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research hypothesis and questions, Limitations of the Study and Definition of technical terms.
1.2 Background of Study
The local government institution is perhaps the oldest formal institution nearest to the ordinary Nigeria, especially since the official colonial imposition of 1900. In historical discourse, local government connotes formal institution which perform primary public functions closest to the people. It is therefore a primary channel through which the citizens participate in the governance of the society.
Essentially, the essence at political participation in Nigeria is therefore to give the broad mass of Nigerian people the opportunity to get involved in duties and privileges of the democratic process and thereby establishing a new political order capable of ensuring following: Justice, Creates orientation awareness and political mobilization, Opportunity for the people to participate in the decision making process and a new social and on equitable distribution of national resources and opportunities.
All these require that people select and control their political authority created at the local community level to serve the needs and interests of the Local people. It is designed to bring government nearer to the people government in the process of government, thus Oyediran view local government as “government in which popular participation, both in choice of decision makes and in the decision making process is conducted by local bodies which while recognizing the supremacy of the central government is able and willing to accept responsibility for its decision”.
In the first, it is government that is nearest to the people and has face-to face relationship with the people, it possesses the first hand knowledge, and feels the most impact, of the people’s needs and aspirations. Accordingly, the Political Bureau Report correctly observed that “a government operating at the local governments level is more likely to be attuned to the needs of the people”.
Secondly, since local Government is generally community based, there is a greater sense of we feeling among the people of the local area. This sense of “we feeling fosters commitment to common cause that makes the mobilization of the people to participate in politics possible.
Thirdly, since local government is based on small units of local needs, it engenders greater participation of local people in the management of their affairs. This principle of mass participation is central in the objectives of the local Government reforms of 1976 which among its objectives are to our society and to mobiles of the members of the public in their development activities.
Fourthly, the local government, as a creative of the central (State) government, can be employed to achieve the ideological purpose of the state system at the grassroots level. It was argued that since local government is located in areas of local isolation and traditionalism requiring a high level of political socialization, it’s role in social mobilization is considered to be crucial and pivotal.
Therefore, in Akure South Local Government Area where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Local Government as a Platform for Political Participation.
1.3 Statement of Problem
Statistically stated, it is an established fact that about 70 percent of the Nigeria population lives in the rural areas hence the grassroots. Given the scope of this study, this percentage of our population has under a measure of neglect which today is a source of concern. Over the years, tiers of government have be emerged as a consequence of the evolution of the political process in Nigeria. This can be traced through the colonial, independence era and the post independence era. The evolution of these tiers of government has engendered political participation with both positives and negative consequence. Some scholars view political participation as an outgrowth of the evolution of local government in Nigeria, others view it as a consequence of government actions or policies on the trends of the political system.
Others view political participation as an outgrowth of military involvement and civil life, these over the nature of local government with regards to the character of political participation. The impact of the local government on grassroots’ democracy has not been facilitated and given greater emphasis; the local government according to John Stuart Mill is justified as an integral part of democracy.
This paper is therefore, an attempt to access the roles played by local government in the democratization process aimed at re-adjusting the organizational structure and institutions and then making the ordinary man at local governments to participation more in political processes. It is also an attempt to access the collective role expected of the people at the local government in the democratic government as a means of achieving this adjustment.
1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study
The aim of the study is to scrutinize the Local Government as a Platform for Political Participation using Akure South Local Government Area as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:
- To examine the Platform for Political Participation in Akure South Local Government in Ekiti State.
- To investigate the adverse effects or danger on the Citizens of local government in political participation.
- To find out why it is important to strive to achieve a high degree of grassroots democracy in Nigeria.
- To analyze the social organization have roots upon which their life more or less depends.
- To encourages democratic freedom, self reliance, initiative and social sense of the free man by placing the ultimate responsibility for the control of government on the Citizens themselves.
- To show that this conception if “grassroots” as the basis for political life and the bedrock of a true democratic process has informed much of social and institutional engineering that has taken place since 1976, especially with respect to the returns and innovations in the local government.
1.5 Research Questions
The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:
- Does the activity of the Local government affect the Citizens continued interest on politics?
- Does the activity of the Local government bring the government closer to the people?
- Should local government be banned in political participation?
- Does local government effect any positive change in political participation?
- Are there gainful reasons involving local government in politics?
- To what extent does the activity of local government affect the peoples’ political participation?
- How has the role played by local government in integrating the rural population into the political process engendered political participation?
- What possible alternatives exist to ensuring political participation in the political system?
- To what extent has the application of local government democracy influenced peoples’ participation in democratic process?
- To what extent has the application of grassroots democracy influenced p people participation in democratic process?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.
Hypothesis One
- H0: There is no significant effect of political participation on the Citizens of Akure South Local Government
- H1: There is a significant effect of political participation on the Citizens of Akure South Local Government
Hypothesis Two
- H0: The activity of the Akure South Local Government Area does not significantly affect the Citizens continued interest on politics
- H1: The activity of the Akure South Local Government Area significantly affects the Citizens continued interest on politics
1.7 Significance of Study
With the world contending towards democratic process, if therefore becomes very imperative to give greater concern to local government in Nigeria as a mere pragmatic means achieving a viable political order. Following from this premise, the research study is designed to serve as an exposure to the mass of Nigeria on the imperative of local government democracy. It is expected that this study will go a big way in making local government participation in politics heritage of the rural common folk. The research work is going to be a compendium of useful information to both students and any person who might have a need for it. Ultimately, it is my cherished desire to contribute to the growth of intellectual and material deposit of this schools library considering its peculiar nature.
1.8 Scope of the Study
The study focuses on the Local Government as a Platform for Political Participation using Akure South Local Government Area as a case study. Inspite of the fact that the scope of this research study embraces the entity called Nigeria local government, the limitation of this study which has to do with the period or time to be covered on the process is from 1776 to 1993, that is to say that it begins with General Murtala Mohammed’s’ administration.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:
- Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
- Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
- Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet).
1.10 Definition of Terms
In an attempt to avoid any form of ambiguity in the course of this writing, it therefore becomes very important to define some of the salient concept used in the research study:
Local Government: By local Government is generally meant a system of territorial Units with defined boundaries a legal identity and institutional structure, power and duties laid down in general and special status and a degree of financial and others autonomy.
Democracy: In spite of the fact that the concept of democracy on its own is ambiguous in any or most political discussions leading to a conglomeration of definitions.
Functional definition thus: It could be defined or seen as a concept concerned with the national political system based on Citizens participation majority rule, constitution and discussion.
Grassroots: Clearly speaking, the word used to capture two meanings at the same one is that, it represents the Nigeria Masses or common folk, especially those living in the rural areas. Two is that, it represents the lowest rung of government in the Country that is local government.
Local Government Democracy: This refers to the popular democratic participation in major decisions at the broadest forms of political associations. It therefore encourages democracy in its largest sense as a state of affairs in which most citizens especially at the village and town level participation.
Participation: Participation is the ability and opportunity of a group of people to be involved in governance. Participation can be defined as an act of involvement.
Politics: This could be referred to as science or act of government. Different scholars have made various attempts at defining politics.
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