CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
“The way to have good and safe government is not to trust it all to one, but to divide it among many, distributing to every one exactly the function he is competent to”. Thomas Jefferson writing to Joseph C. Cabell in (1816).
The problem of government at the local level has been a recurring decimal in the political history of Nigeria. According to Jefferson (1816), the local government is the last level of government that is vested with the responsibility of taking care of the people at the grass-roots.
According to the 1999 constitution of the federal republic of Nigeria, each state in the country is legally responsible for proper structuring of their respective governments, however the local government is not granted a full autonomy to carryout effective policies and programmes, even the little autonomy that is granted to the local government is still limited as some of the governors give negative impressions on the local government seeing it as a tier of government that is even supposed to be eliminated.
It is pertinent to understand that every society whether simple or complex will have statutory rules based on the laid down regulations. The dynamic nature of the society requires dynamic policies and programmes in order to develop the country ranging from the federal, state and local government of administration.
The principal priority of formulating any policy is to enhance development of a particular sector; regrettably, policies that are formulated especially at the local government level are not effectively implemented for the betterment of the masses.
Local government in Nigeria started during the colonial era when it was vested in traditional rulers and it operated in a very undemocratic manner. The local is the closest tier of government to the people in Nigeria, yet the resident population in it is denied the benefit of its existence. The failure of the local government in the area of service delivery has made the citizens to loose trust in government as an institution. In some areas, council officials are better known for the harassment of citizens than service delivery Adamalekun (1982). Many Nigerians crave for changes in the local government system as presently constituted in order to not only bring it in conformity with present day realities but also to make it live up to the expectation of the people who have been yearning for grassroots development.
The issue of policy formulation and implementation as it brings about development is very common to all levels of governance. The president together with his ministers and other senior civil servants are faced with the crucial role of how to administer territories and how policies will be designed, while there will be an established parameter to assess and measure performance compliance with the provision of the policy. Policy formulation as earlier highlighted is instrumental at the local government level. The chairman or sole administrator together with his councilors and other high ranking civil officials take charge of policy formulation and implementation for the overall development of the local government areas. This scenario is materialized only when decisions and agreements are reached by the executives of the local government or local council.
It is therefore our major concern to critically examine how policies are formulated and implemented towards actualizing a set goal which is development of local governments, but with particular reference to Konshisha local government area of Benue state.
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
During the pre-colonial era, Africans operated a single ideology which sustained their living until the advent of colonialism which brought about the suspension of communal ideology for capitalism in order to consolidate their principal motive of economic subjugation. The formulation of policies in any given organization is not for jeopardizing the visions of that sector but to bring about development. Good policies when successfully implemented are bound to bring positive change on the lives of the citizenry.
In Nigeria for instance, from 1963 to date, different leaders introduced different policies which were not synonymous to any other leader ranging from military to civilian dispensations but all geared towards bringing about development in the country. At the state level, governors promulgate policies for enhanced development. In Benue state for instance, the present governor Rt. Dr. Gabriel Torwua Suswam postulated an ideological blue print known as “Our Benue Our Future” and so man other policies which are intended for development and wellbeing of the citizenry. The local government is not an exception for it is the third tier of government closer to the grassroots. The monumental achievements of the local government are determined by policy formulation and implementation.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Statement of the problem involves writing about the effects of policy formulation and implementation on the development of the local government area as it becomes a debatable matter. Many people are entangled with the problem of whether there exists any policy at the local government level; others do not understand the reason why local government councils are created. The problem lies between poor formulation of policies and programmes at the local level and the negative implementation of such policies in the local government system. This is why the federal and state governments worked modalities for training council workers (Through workshops) on their job undertaken. This research work is to properly identify the problems faced by policy formulation and implementation, make appropriate recommendations and suggestions.
1.3 HYPOTHESIS
Based on the aforementioned problems, the following research hypotheses have been drawn to test the significance of the study:
i. Low quality of council employees significantly affects policy formation and implementation.
ii. Too much party politics significantly affect the development of the local government areas.
iii. Low academic standard of local government officials significantly affects policy formulation and implementation and cause underdevelopment of local councils.
1.4 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
This research work is primarily concerned with the effects of policy formulation and implementation on the development of local government areas of Benue state with a case study of Konshisha local government area of Benue state. The objective of this research work is to bring out problems facing the local government council.
In addition it is to investigate consciously whether there is insufficient lack of qualified staff to handle or man the affairs of the local council and implement decisions for the effective transformation of the local government (Konshisha Local Government to be precise).