Caretaker Committees and Local Government Administration in Nigeria: A Study of Isoko North and Ukwuani Local Government Councils of Delta State, Nigeria (2013-2014)

Abstract

It is somewhat worrisome that in spite of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended that local government councils in Nigeria shall be democratically elected local government councils, local government councils have been rubbished by state governors in Nigeria by constituting caretaker committees to administer local government councils in Nigeria immediately after they have been sworn in as state governors. With local government councils caretaker committees, the grassroots are excluded from power and benefits of power. It makes the grassroots not to see themselves as joint owners of the local polity having no hands in the election of their local political leaders. The fundamental objective of this paper is to examine the advent of caretaker committees and its effects on local government administration in Nigeria. A study of Isoko North and Ukwuani local government councils in Delta State, Nigeria, (2013 – 2014) using a qualitative research method which focused on secondary method of eliciting data from existing sources. The theoretical framework applied for this study is the structural functional theory whose proponents were Gabriel Almond, Talcot Parson, Sydney Powell et al. This paper also peruses at autonomy and accountability in local government council caretaker committee. This study finds that caretaker committees are characterized with fraud, irresponsibility and do not embark on community based development projects. The paper finally made some recommendations that would discourage appointment of caretaker committees that would administer local government council in Nigeria among others.

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