THE ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT SERVICE COMMISSION IN MANAGEMENT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN KOGI STATE

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Local government was nationally acclaimed as the third tier of government in 1976, it is a government, exercised by local councils in 1976, it is a government exercised by democratically elected local council in line with the 1979 constitution, which recognized local government as the third tier of government.
Local government is widely acknowledged as a viable instrument for the delivery of social services to the people, it is strategically located to fully carry out the above functions because of its nearness to the people.
However, people at the grass root are only able to understand and recognize local government because they are able to feel its presence and impacts on their day-to-day activities.
Local government is a determinant approach at ensuring bottom top transformation through responsive decentralization of national development strategies; it is not just a permanent feature in the political arrangement of the country but equally the most viable centre for grassroots transformation. It is generally referred to as the best form of decentralization.
It has a developed power being recognized by the constitution. To this end, every state in the federation shall ensure their existence under a law, which provide for the establishment, structure, composition, finance and function of such local government council.
In order to reduce the work load being piled up on the local government service board which was created to carry out some specific functions and again to give enough freedom to carry out their functions devoid of undue political interference, the boards were transformed to commission following the recommendations of the Dasuke committee of 1984 which was assigned with the responsibility to look into how best to ramp the concept of viable and efficient system of local government administration in the country.

It is to be noted that with the creation or formation of local government service commission, the local governments no longer have any effective control over their staff. This was however, a deliberate design against the nepotism, corruption or sectionalism and other abuses, which attended to matter relating to personnel of the local government in the past years.
The proponents of the local government service board commission believed that the local government should be more effective in the performance of their lawful duties if their staff do not operate under fear and tension of victimization. How much this has been achieved is the focus of the study.

1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS
The problems of this study centers on the following issues:
What are the statutory function of local government service commission.
To what extent id the local government service commission interfering with the functions and powers of local government in the discharge of their responsibilities?
What are the problems facing the local government service commission in discharging their responsibility.
However, frequent change of government effects the existing system of local government and the performance of the function of local government service commission .

1.2 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
To highlight the statutory function of the local government service commission.
To assess how far the local government service commission in Kogi state has performed its statutory function
To highlight the problem which the commission face in the performance of its function.
To prescribe ways of Alleviating such problems
Suggest ways of making the commission more effective in the performance of its functions.

1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The study is significant in the sense that it makes us to know the relationship between local government service commission and the local government councils across Kogi State.
The study is also important because it enable us understand the role of local government service commission to the local council. It is also very valuable to the functionaries of the local government council as it educates them on the relationship of the local government service commission to their councils.