A history of Ibadan North West Local Government(1991-2021)

Name: Adeniji Oluwatomisin Beatrice

Matric number: 212711

Supervisor: Professor S.A Ajayi.

Chapter 1

- Background to the study

- Statement of the problem

- Aim and Objectives of the study

- Sources and methodology

- Scope of the study

- Literature review

INTRODUCTION

Background to the study

Local government, according to Bekir Parlink from Uludag University, Turkey, is a "legal
entity that is formed with the aim of delivering local and communal public services in a
particular geography, whose decision making body is acceded through free elections and that has
administrative and financial autonomy ", What this means is that the local government is the
government at the grassroots which is the closest to the people, it is also the tier of government
administration that coordinates the activities of citizens at the local community levels. 1 The
concept of local government as a tier of government has generated exciting debates among
scholars in the academic world, It has attracted the attention of various scholars across the globe
and most of these scholars conclude that local government as a concept that refers to people at
the grassroots is as old as the human race itself, It's concept can be traced to when humans lived
in communal and feudal settlements.2 The history of local government administration in Nigeria
predicts its existence as an entity and can be traced to the pre-colonial era, Local government as a

1
https://www.igi-global.com/dictionary/functionality-website-based-services-metropolitan/
17332 Accessed on 14th October, 2023.
concept of government existed long before the arrival of the colonialists. There were forms of
local government administrations in Nigeria before colonial rule. During colonialism, the
British's indirect rule system was built upon existing local administrations in Nigeria However,
the story is not the same for local government administration regarding structure and
organization in the country today. Local government administration has undergone a very long
and tortuous journey in Nigeria- from the diversities of the pre-colonial era, through Lugard's
experiment and the travails of the military adventurists and the military-guided democracy. The
local government in Nigeria has developed its peculiarities and forms. Any meaningful attempt
to thoroughly study local government in Nigeria will amount to studying the government and
politics in Nigeria. 3

Before the advent of colonial rule in Nigeria, local administrations had already developed, from
the Hausa-Fulani Emirate in the North to the Oyo Empire in the West and the Igbo Kingdoms in
the East. There were traditional institutions that were already in effect, as well as established
pockets of traditional administration set-ups, fashioned along the lines of a King, Emir, Oba, or
Head of a family lording over his subjects using traditional councils in large communities in
existence in pre-colonial Nigeria, across the country upon which the colonists built the native
administration. The amalgamation of Northern and Southern protectorates in 1914 and the
subsequent introduction of indirect rule or the native administration across the country succeeded
in Hausa-Fulani Northern Nigeria because of its existing centralized structure of the traditional
system of government. It also succeeded in Yoruba Western Nigeria based on its decentralized
traditional structure but the story was different in Igbo Eastern Nigeria because the indirect rule
was not suitable for the existing method of government in the region and this became a turning
point in the development of native authority and local government in Nigeria, as the journey for
self-government gathered more momentum in the 1950s, the Macpherson Constitution of 1957
introduced parliamentary democracy into Nigeria and local council's law. 4[4] The status was the
native authority law of 1954, and the instruments were the chief and council, the chief-in-
council, the federated native authority, the country council and the municipal councils. The
reforms of the early 1950s in the Eastern and Western parts of the country started on a promising
note; But with the military coming into power in 1966, the take-over of local government
functions by the regional/state governments, and the subsequent introduction of varying local
government system across the country placed the local government in an uncertain position in
the country. For instance, in Northern Nigeria, the local government reforms marked a watering

2
Ibid.

3
Olowu, D. (1988) "African Local Governments as Instruments of Economic and Social
Development", No. 1415, The Hague, International Union of Local Authorities, Page 10-17.

4
G. L. Gomme. (1987) "Lectures on the principles of the local government", delivered at
London School of Economics, Lent term, Westminister, whithall garden. Page 1-2
down of the Emir's position and power, divisional administration and the native authority system
were abolished and a two-tiered pyramidal structure remained, for example in Kano, consisting
of a Local Authority and subordinate District authorities, a new wave of local government
through popular participation rather than hereditary began to sweep across the Northern states
while in Eastern states, different systems were adopted after the civil war, the system was
described as development administration, particularly in the South-East states as Bendel state
that was created in 1963. This was clearly stated in the South-East State Development Edict No.7
of 1972 and Bendel State Edict No. 26 of 1974. In the East Central State, the home state of the
Igbo people, "local administration", was replaced with "local government", Lastly, in the states
in western states, the sole administrator system was adopted but was later abandoned for the
Local Advisory Council.

Fast forward to The 1976 Local Government Reform marked a turning point in the evolution of
local government development in Nigeria. The reform has been described as a landmark in the
history of local government in the country. It is the bedrock of local government development in
the country. Many authors have acknowledged this, Adamolekun Roland argued that what
distinguished the reform from other previous ones is the distinct level of government with
defined boundaries, clearly stated functions, and provisions for adequate human and financial
resources.5

The local government had over the years suffered from a continuous whittling down of powers,
with the state governments exercising executive preserve of local government which resulted in a
lack of adequate funds and appropriate institutions this made the local government ineffective
and inefficient but The 1976 Local Government Reform demonstrated a commitment to a new
political value nationwide, it was an essential element of the political transition program of the
Murtala/Obasanjo regime and part of the process of building a solid foundation for the return of
the democratic government. The federal and state governments jointly carried out the reform
though the federal government initiated it, the overall objective of the reform was to rebuild the
local government system and serve as a broad guideline for local government administration
throughout the country, the reforms included the functions of local government, the structure of
local government, the financial resources of local government, the place of traditional rulers in
local government, the relationship with state government and law enforcement.

Other subsequent reforms include; The Second Republic local government reforms(1979-1983);
The military regime took appropriate steps to operationalize the constituent elements of the 1976
Local Government Reform and elections were held at the local government level throughout the
country on a non-party basis in December 1976, and so when the military relinquished power to
civilians in the second republic, the military administrations made a commendable effort to
resolve problems encountered in the process of implementation of the reform, especially in the
sphere of finance and personnel. With the emergence of the Second Republic, the local
government system in the country was dissolved by the state government, and elections were not
held in the councils until the second coming of the military in December 1983, Instead of

5
Federal Republic of Nigeria. (1976). The 1976 Guidelines on Local Government Reforms in
Nigeria. Lagos: Federal Ministry of Information.
elections in local government councils in the country, the politicians appointed a management
committee to charge local council affairs throughout.

Local government under The Buhari-Idiagbon Era (1983-1985); This regime dissolved the
management committee put in place by the ousted civilian government and took some steps to
resuscitate the third tier of government in the country. The regime first strove to compress the
number of local governments that had been overblown by the politicians back to its original 1979
status. In this respect, sole administrators or senior civil servants were appointed for local
government and a 20-member committee headed by Alhaji Ibrahim Dasuki was constituted to
look into the problems of local government in May 1984, but the committee did not see anything
wrong with the 1976 Reform besides operational problems but attributed the lack of equitable
distribution of amenities to different parts of local government areas and stressed the negative
roles of state government under the ousted civilian government. Unfortunately, the coup of
General Ibrahim Babangida in August 1985 scuttled the implementation of the Dansuki Report.6

Local government under Babaginda Regime (1985-1993); The General Ibrahim Babaginda
transitional program gave the Local Government Administration all the paraphernalia of a
presidential system of government, several reforms were introduced but the most notable was the
1988 Local Government Reforms, which introduced Presidentialism at the local level. The
overall objectives of these reforms, according to President Babangida, were to make local
government a "third tier of government in practice". It is also worthy of note that the Babangida
administration has done more for local government than any other government to date. It is
important to note that the re-emergence of the military in politics in 1984 witnessed another set
of reforms for local government with effects on local government democracy in Nigeria as
follows;

1. There was the creation of more local governments 453 in 1989 and 500 in 1991. The newly
created local governments were recognized by the federal government, and it encouraged more
democratic participation of the local people in the politics of the state.

2. The introduction of a presidential system of government at the local government encouraged

the practice of separation of power and democracy in the local government. The executive
council was separated from the legislative council, with a defined democratic mandate to run the
affairs of the council...

3. Within this era, there were local government elections, and the elected chairmen became the
accounting officers of the council, and answerable to the local people. 7

6
Gboyega, A. (1983). Local Government Reforms in Nigeria in Philips Mawhood (ed) Local
Government in Third World, Chichester John Wiley and Sons.

7
Egurabe, J. O. (1991) "The Evolution of Local Government in Nigeria, A Systematic
Perspective" in Nzeribe, C. G. O. (ed) Current Issues in Public Administration. Enugu: Fourth
Dimension Publisher.
Ibadan North West local government, which is the main focus of this study, came into existence
under this regime.

As an attempt to increase local participation in democracy, the Abacha regime created more local
governments in 1996, bringing the number of local governments to 774. Regrettably, the regime
replaced the presidential system with a parliamentary system. The parliamentary system was
aimed at reducing the cost of administration for the local government but was not encouraging
the nascent democracy in the local government in terms of applying the policy of separation of
power.

Finally, the most recent one, Local government in the Fourth Republic, was included in the 1999
Constitution. Despite the constitution's provisions on local government, there was confusion
rending the air when democracy was to be ushered in by 1999, People were not sure of the tenure
of the local government political officeholders because there is no fixed tenure for elected local
government officials, they have always been at the mercy of the state Governors since the start of
the Fourth Republic, each time there is a change of administration in the state, the new
government dissolves the elected councils and sets up a caretaker local government committee to
be in charge.8

Statement of problem

The local government administration in Nigeria has witnessed several political, administrative,
structural, and financial reforms since the colonial era to date for effective democratic
governance and political participation of the rural people in the democratic activities of the area.
Over the years there have been different scholarly articles and publications on the development,
reforms, and growth of local governments in Nigeria but none have been written or published on
Ibadan North West local government. This research project, therefore, aims to address this gap in
knowledge by providing an in-depth analysis and documentation of Ibadan North West Local
Government.

Aim and Objectives of Study

The general aim is to examine the origin, development, and growth of Ibadan North West Local
Government from its establishment in 1991 till 2021.

The specific objectives are:

 To examine the origin and historical evolution of Ibadan North West local government;
 To identify and analyze significant historical events in the local government area;
 To explore the socio-political and economic factors that have influenced the development
of the local government; and,
 To highlight the achievements and challenges of Ibadan North West local government.

8
Federal Republic of Nigeria. (1999). The 1999 Constitution. Lagos: Federal Government Press
Methodology

This study will make use of primary and secondary sources. While the primary sources will
contain interviews, letters, newspaper publications, and bulletins, the secondary sources include;
books, articles, and journals. These scholarly works attest to the significance of this study and the
study relies on historical methodology and the interpretation of relevant data from the sources
outlined above.

Significance of study

The significance of this study is to contribute to the existing knowledge of the history of Ibadan
North West Local Government. The findings will be of major importance in assessing the
essential documents on the history of Ibadan North West Local Government, this research
project will not only fill a gap in scholarly research but also provide a valuable resource for
policymakers, historians, and researchers interested in the development Local Government
administration in Oyo State and Nigeria as a whole.

Furthermore, this study would preserve and document the unique stories, culture, and heritage of
the peoples of Ibadan North Local Government, allowing future generations to have a better
understanding of the history, and in turn help to create a sense of identity and pride for the
peoples of that place.

Scope of study

The time scope of this study covers 30 years from 1991, which marked the historic establishment
of Ibadan North West local government under General Babangida's regime. The terminal year,
2021 marks the 30th year of the establishment of the Local government, and a period when
major changes were made to the local government structure and administration in Oyo State.

The spatial scope focuses on the areas covered by the local government such as Dugbe, Onireke,
Ayeye, Inalnde, and Ologuneru, to mention but a few.

Literature review

The study relies on available journal articles and books. There is a large body of articles and
scholarly publications that have been made about local government in Nigeria, that is the
administration of local government, their structure and functions, the historical perspective, the
grassroots democracy, etc. The journals used in this study are just a selected few of the many
articles and journals available.

The book Local government financial autonomy in Nigeria: A Myth or Reality by Professor
Basil Chukwuemeka Nwankwo, focuses on the financial autonomy given to local government in
Nigeria both in the past and in the present administration of President Mohammadu Buhari( the
book was published in 2021). The book examined and ascertained whether the financial
autonomy given to local government was a myth or a reality, this is because governors through
the instrumentalities of the state government have devised means and strategies to enforce all
kinds of administrative, judicial, legislative, and financial control over the local government
councils in the domain, and so the book concludes that for the local government council in
Nigeria to become a vehicle for efficient and effective service delivery at the grass root level
there should be constitutional amendments for the local government to be a subordinate of the
state government and be accountable to the state government. 9

Local government and sustainable national development in Nigeria by Adeline Nnenna Idike,
from the Department of Public Administration and Local Government, university of Nigeria,
Nsukka, argues that the pace of national development in Nigeria is dreadfully in a negative
position, that is the local government areas are underdeveloped, it is then further stated that the
issue of national development in Nigeria is intertwined with developments in the local
government system, it was therefore concluded that the best way to ensure overall development
of the Nigerian state is to concentrate on the development of its local government segments.

The Politics of Local Government Reforms and democratic governance in Nigerian Local
Governments by Goddey Wilson, clearly explains the politics and reforms system in Nigerian
local governments, the book identifies the challenging issues in various local government
reforms and analyses their impact on local government democratic governance in Nigeria by
examining the various local government reforms from the colonial era to the present government
in Nigeria, the book concludes that the various reforms before 1976 only encouraged local
administration and not local government, also it was the 1976 reforms and 1979 constitution that
formally brought local government as a third tier of government in Nigeria without autonomous
political powers. It was therefore recommended that future reforms and constitutional
amendments should give powers and autonomy to local government. 10

Additionally, J. A. Egonmwan in his work Human capacity building and local government talks
about the nature and scope of capacity building in local government and how important it is for
there to be Human Resources development to enhance performance and increase productivity
and to ensure more knowledge, skill and appropriate attitude to the individual employees. He
also stated that for success to be achieved institutional capacity and a favorable policy
environment should be put in place, he concluded that training should be conducted for the
employees to meet the development needs of staff in the local government service.

Agagu, A. A. in his work titled Continuity and Change in Local Government Administration and
Politics of Underdevelopment, examined the evolution and the historical development of local
government in the Nigerian state. He noted that under the colonial administration, local
governance was known as the indirect rule system, that is, an attempt to govern the people
through their chief. He further explained that at independence and thereafter, the system has
since been restructured and reorganized depending on the regime and the nature of the

9
https://www.ijmsspcs.com/index.php/IJMSSPCS/article/view/214. Accessed on 16th October
2023

10
Wilson G. (2013). "The Politics of Local Government Reforms and Democratic Governance in
Nigerian Local Governments " Developing Country Studies, Vol 3, No.1.
government in power. These changes have made it pass through a series of uncertainties and with
peculiar characteristics11.

Similarly, Aina, D.A in State and Local Government in Nigeria: The Changing Scene. From
Native Administration, Divisional Administration to Council Managership examined the
changing administrative structures of local governance in Nigeria. He noted that the employment
of local government staff was aligned with that of civil servants at the state level to attract highly
qualified personnel.12

11
Agagu, A. A. (2004)." Continuity and Change in Local Government Administration and
Politics of Underdevelopment" in Agagu, A.A., & Ola, R.O.F. (eds) Development Agenda of
Nigerians State, Ibadan: Flag (Nigeria) Publisher.

12
Aina, D.A (2006). "State and Local Government in Nigeria: The Changing Scene. From Native
Administration, Divisional Administration to Council Managership and |Local Government" in
Aborisade, O. and Aransi, I. O (2006). North Carolina: Catawba.