If we could get Nigeria's 774 local government areas to function properly with this Nigerian Local Government Bill 2020, we would double our GDP within two years

Ayo Akinfe

[1] All of Nigeria's 774 local government areas will be responsible for providing waste disposal services, fire services and ambulance services within their domains

[2] Local governments will be funded internally by the charging of a local tax, which will be augmented by a federal grant representing no more than 10% of their total expenditure. As a principle, all recurrent expenditure must be met by internally generated revenue

[3] All local government chairmen and councillors will be directly elected and subsequently independent of their state governors

[4] Every local government must appoint a professional chief executive to run its operations. He will report to the full council and be responsible for implementing and managing its annual budget

[5] Every state is free to create more local governments provided they meet the necessary criteria which includes holding a referendum and the fact that the local government area is self-sustaining

[6] To be recognised as a local government area, basic facilities that must exist within the domain include 20 primary schools, five secondary schools, a local government headquarters, at least one vocational training college and at least one public health centre

[7] Local governments shall be free to employ their own staff, train them and provide them will all other services and benefits in line with what civil servants receive. For the purposes of pensions, local government employees will be treated the same as civil servants who work for the federal and state governments

[8] All local governments must hold at least one town hall meeting a month, during which they are compelled to interact with their constituents and account for their stewardship

[9] Every local government area most construct a micro grid capable of meeting it electricity demands. These grids must be regularly upgraded to ensure they are always capable of distributing as much power as is consumed within the local government area

[10] All local governments must organise at least one sporting event a year to uncover young talent. Exceptional talent will be recommended to the state government to be provided with scholarships