By Banji Ayoola 
1. Due to the current travails Nigeria is currently undergoing such as: insecurity, insurgency, ethnic clashes, religious wars, threats of secession, cybercrime, a National Dialogue is imperative.
2. Due to the fact that True Federalism is not practiced in Nigeria, Decentralization, should be considered because it is a fundamental political and economic strategy for achieving sustainable development, democratic and participatory governance which will allow for the transfer of fiscal, political and administrative responsibilities to lower levels of Government.
3. Decentralisation as a self-governance model supports organising and channelling popular collective choice and action rather than imposing policy and solutions from the centre.
4. Devolving power to local governments under a deliberate policy of devolution and decentralization is key to ensuring that citizens feel the impact of the Local Council, more easily as compared to a situation where only a central government exists in name.
5. Around the world, there is a demand from different quarters for increase in the degree of autonomy availed to local governments. This demand has been amplified by increasing population, paucity of funds, technological advancement, globalisation and so on. However, Local Governments still do the biddings of other levels of government because these other levels are the sources of local governments’ sustenance. Both tiers of government should be independent of one another.
6. Effective local governance is very necessary for the national development at the grassroots as a way to break “democracy without governance” which is a dilemma of the State. Autonomy will give vitality to the institutions of
governance.
7. Autonomy of local Government should be rooted in civic engagement of the people, empowered to determine reform or replace policies for their common good.
8. All politics are local and so should development be too. This is because the old way of “trickle down” has failed abysmally. We need more capable people who are willing to serve at the local level and make their impact felt at the grassroots. Local Governments should focus on improving systems and processes to ensure efficiency of their functions to attain optimum productivity.
9. Transparent process of Open Local Government should be developed; openness of accounts to scrutiny; transparent process of decision-making and public information should be encouraged. A culture of Transparent local Government i.e. Accountability to communities; a Probity Watch Mechanism to frustrate corrupt tendencies.
10.Adequate and equitable resource allocation, independent and secured revenue base; equitable service delivery: A balance between nationally-set standards and locally-set priorities.
11. Continuous capacity building of officials to build strong local democracy and model of good governance is imperative.
12. Personnel and Human Resource issues such as politicization of recruitment, selection and placement, interference of State authorities through the local government commissions have contributed to the inefficiency of Local
Governments. There has to be a mechanism to prevent this challenge to good local governance.
13. Local government autonomy is guaranteed – fiscally and politically – if local governments focus on efficient and effective public service delivery for national development.
14. Although, the 1976 Local Government Reforms grants State governments unfettered discretion to decide on what local governments within their States can or should do, creating the State Joint Local Government Account (SJLGA) has frustrated attempts to establish the third tier and autonomous status of local governments.
15. A significant challenge for Local Councils to gain autonomy is the provision of the Constitution which empowers the state governors to conduct Local Government Election; as Governors can and have easily turn the process of election into a process of putting in bootlickers who are in favour of their government and its policies.
16. Local Government Elections should be taken away from the State Government’s and handed to the national election management body. When credible elections are allowed to take place, the electorate will have a legitimate means of exercising their franchise and choosing their leaders, progress can be assured.
17. Other fundamental recommendations to achieve local government autonomy as the foundation on which other spheres of government are built, include:
a. Constitutional recognition for local governments and the need for constitutionalism;
b. Creating a new political system that recognizes our indigenous culture, philosophy and traditional constitutional system to evolve;
c. Giving more responsibilities to the traditional rulers for more effective management of their localities;
d. Ability for local government’s representatives to elect their own representatives;
e. Partnership, decentralization and mutual respect between the various tiers of governance;
f. Mobilization of financial resources, peer reviews and exchanges to end poverty and misery;
g. Continuous capacity building and training programmes for government for strong local democracy and good governance;
h. Empowering the people to reform and replace policies for their common good through civic engagement;
i. Accountability to communities, transparent process of decision making, openness to scrutiny, inclusiveness, adequate resource
allocation and equitable service delivery.
The SYMPOSIUM specifically called for:
18. True decentralisation/devolution of powers, which will permit lower levels of government to carry out fiscal, political and administrative functions;
19. An overhaul of the processes carried out by local governments to ensure they are optimized for productivity.
20. Financial independence of local governments from state governments;
21. A National Dialogue to address the travails currently facing the Nation at the moment.
Conclusion:
Service delivery is the very essence of government and by the strategic closeness of local government to the grassroots. This is the tier of government that serves as more of the Government of the People, by the People and for the People, than any other level of government in Nigeria. Local Government Autonomy is the only way to effective local governance which by implication is the panacea for national development.
Signed
Lado Resource Group
June 2021
Being the communique issued at the second Adebutu Good Governance Symposium held at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Oke Mosan, Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Thursday, June 17, 2021