Study Group 1: SEC-PP1
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://repository.sternhost.com/handle/123456789/77
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item Strengthening Local Governance in Nigeria: Challenges, Option and Opportunities(2022) Senior Executive 44, 2022The report examines the persistent challenges and reform efforts associated with strengthening local governance in Nigeria. Despite numerous reforms, most notably the 1976 Dasuki Reform, these initiatives have largely focused on restructuring the local government system rather than improving the broader concept of local governance. As a result, they have failed to produce effective, efficient, and accountable institutions capable of delivering meaningful development outcomes. Structural weaknesses such as constitutional ambiguities, fragmented reform approaches, and inadequate institutional frameworks have undermined the autonomy and performance of local governments. Consequently, local governments in Nigeria have struggled with poor revenue generation, limited accountability, weak citizen participation, and widespread corruption, all of which have contributed to suboptimal service delivery and underdevelopment at the grassroots level. In response to these challenges, the federal government has introduced measures aimed at enhancing local government autonomy and financial transparency. Notably, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) issued directives prohibiting state governments from making unauthorized deductions from the State Joint Local Government Account and restricting large cash withdrawals from local government accounts. Furthermore, constitutional amendment bills passed in March 2022 sought to grant financial and administrative autonomy to local governments. However, these amendments have not yet been fully ratified, as they require approval from two-thirds of State Houses of Assembly. Even if implemented, the proposed reforms do not comprehensively address all the structural and constitutional constraints affecting local governance. Nonetheless, strengthening local governance remains a critical national priority, as sustainable development is unattainable without effective governance at the grassroots level. Against this backdrop, the study conducted by participants of the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 44 in 2022 aimed to evaluate the challenges, opportunities, and policy options for improving local governance in Nigeria. The study explored the strategic environment, historical evolution, legal and institutional frameworks, stakeholder roles, and key constraints affecting local governance. It also examined international best practices through comparative analysis and proposed actionable recommendations for reform. To achieve these objectives, participants engaged in extensive fieldwork, including lectures, institutional visits, and study tours across Nigeria, Africa, and other regions. The comparative analysis revealed several lessons from global best practices. Countries such as Ethiopia and India demonstrate the effectiveness of multi-tier local government structures, which allow for greater flexibility and responsiveness to local needs. In contrast, Nigeria’s uniform single-tier system does not adequately accommodate the diversity of its communities. Similarly, countries like Uganda and Ethiopia allow sub-national governments to create and manage local government units, thereby reducing bureaucratic bottlenecks associated with constitutional amendments. Regular local government elections and fixed tenures, as seen in Cabo Verde and Tanzania, enhance accountability and autonomy. Effective revenue mobilization systems, practiced in countries such as Türkiye, Zimbabwe, and Uganda, ensure adequate funding for local services while promoting transparency. Additionally, strong citizen participation mechanisms, exemplified by Singapore, foster accountability and improve governance outcomes. These lessons highlight the importance of decentralization, financial autonomy, and inclusive governance in strengthening local governance systems. The study identified several key findings that explain the poor performance of local governments in Nigeria. First, excessive dependence on federal allocations has weakened local governments’ capacity to generate internal revenue. Second, limited administrative and financial autonomy restricts their ability to perform statutory functions effectively. Third, low levels of citizen participation undermine accountability and transparency in governance processes. Fourth, irregular local government elections and the dissolution of elected councils by state governments erode democratic principles and institutional stability. Fifth, weak accountability mechanisms have led to the mismanagement and diversion of public funds. Sixth, governance processes are often exclusionary, with marginalized groups such as women, youth, and persons with disabilities inadequately represented. Seventh, the uniform local government structure fails to address the unique needs of diverse communities. Eighth, poor responsiveness to local needs results in ineffective policy implementation and service delivery. Finally, inadequate human resource capacity further constrains the performance of local government institutions. To address these challenges, the study proposed four key policy options. The first option advocates greater devolution of powers to sub-national governments. This would involve transferring certain responsibilities, such as policing and resource management, from the federal government to states and local governments. The advantage of this approach is that it promotes local autonomy and enables tailored service delivery. However, it may also exacerbate regional inequalities and increase the risk of power abuse by state authorities. The second option focuses on strengthening the revenue base of local governments. This involves reducing dependence on federal allocations and enhancing internally generated revenue through improved taxation systems, development zoning, and targeted investments. While this approach encourages financial independence and economic growth, it may pose short-term challenges for less economically viable local governments. The third option emphasizes human capacity development and increased citizen participation. By enhancing the skills and awareness of citizens, local officials, and council staff, governance processes can become more inclusive and participatory. This approach fosters accountability and ensures that development initiatives reflect community needs, although it may slow decision-making processes due to competing interests. The fourth option proposes adopting a multi-tier local government structure. Allowing states to design governance systems suited to their unique contexts can improve efficiency and responsiveness. However, this may increase administrative costs and complicate governance structures. Based on these policy options, the study provided comprehensive recommendations and implementation strategies. Key recommendations include granting full administrative and financial autonomy to local governments, devolving more powers to sub-national entities, strengthening revenue generation mechanisms, and amending the constitution to allow flexible local government structures. Additional recommendations emphasize participatory governance, transparency, accountability, and the use of technology to improve service delivery. Implementation strategies include expediting constitutional amendments, enhancing fiscal federalism, promoting public-private partnerships, and strengthening monitoring and evaluation systems. The study also recommends establishing citizen engagement platforms, improving electoral processes through technological innovations, and fostering community policing initiatives to enhance security at the local level. Furthermore, it highlights the importance of promoting national cohesion, strengthening human resource capacity, and leveraging information and communication technology (ICT) to modernize governance systems. In conclusion, the study underscores that effective local governance is essential for sustainable development in Nigeria. While past reforms have made some progress, significant gaps remain in terms of autonomy, accountability, and institutional capacity. Addressing these challenges requires a holistic approach that combines constitutional reforms, fiscal decentralization, capacity building, and inclusive governance practices. By adopting global best practices and implementing the recommended policy options, Nigeria can build a robust local governance system capable of delivering improved public services and driving grassroots development.Item Population Growth and Human Capital Development in Nigeria: Challenges and OpportunitiesSenior Executive Course No 42, 2020Nigeria is in a demographic crisis. This is characterised by high rate of out of school children, youth bulge, high dependency ratio, as well as high unemployment and population growth rates. These have intensified conflicts over resources, insecurity, violence and youth restiveness. Nigeria’s population is growing at 3.2 per cent every year, which translates to an additional 6.7 million persons annually, making it one of the highest in the world. As at 2019, 86.7 per cent of Nigerians depend on others to survive, meaning that only 27.9 million people out of about 210 million are productive. This demographic crisis is further compounded by inadequate attention given to the components of human capital development over the years, which include health and wellbeing, education and skills as well as per capita income and gross domestic product. In the health sector, our maternal mortality rate is one of the highest in the world. For instance, in 2018, 512 women die per 100,000 live births. In addition, 132 out of every 1000 children are not likely to live up to five years. Furthermore, access to basic health care in the country still remains a challenge with about 74 per cent out-of-pocket expenditure. Our education system is in crisis and largely focused on general knowledge rather than skills. The mean years of schooling for males is 7.6 and for females 5.3, which are abysmally low. The poverty rate in 2019 stands at 40 per cent, implying that 83 million Nigerians live below the poverty line. Consequently Nigeria’s ranking on Human Development Index in 2018 was 158 out of 189 countries surveyed. All these show that Nigeria needs to transit from the current demographic crisis to demographic dividend. The National Bureau of Statistics has projected that Nigeria’s population will reach 410 million by 2050. This trend in population growth, if not matched with corresponding investment in human capital, will worsen the current demographic crisis, thereby constraining the efforts of government at all levels to combat poverty, hunger and malnutrition. Similarly, it will put a strain on basic provision of healthcare, education and skills for national development. This will also aggravate unemployment, youth restiveness and insecurity. Over the years, Nigeria has formulated several policies and laws on human capital development to respond to her population growth rate. These include the National Population Policy 2004, Compulsory, Free Universal Basic Education Act 2004, the National Policy on Education 2014, National Health Insurance Scheme Act 2005 the National Health Act 2014 and National Health Policy 2016. Despite these efforts, the country is yet to achieve a balance of raising our human capital development to respond to population growth. The demographic structure of the population is skewed towards a youthful population, with about 42.45 per cent below 15 years of age. Currently, more than 13.9 million Nigerian youths are unemployed. Furthermore, at the current pace of poverty in the country, NBS has projected that by 2030, Nigeria will account for 25 per cent of the World’s extremely poor population. This projection is alarming and requires urgent intervention to harness the demographic dividends to accelerate socio-economic development. To this end, President Mohammadu Buhari, GCFR, tasked Senior Executive Course 42 of the National Institute, Kuru to conduct a study on the theme Population Growth and Human Capital Development: Challenges and Opportunities. In pursuance of this Presidential directive, Participants of Senior Executive Course 42 interacted and dialogued with experts on the subject matter, brainstormed and conducted study tours of strategic institutions, selected states and some African countries. The findings of the study led to the following recommendations and implementation strategies: Recommendation One The Federal Executive Council should revise and approve the draft National Policy on Population for Sustainable Development (2019) and ensure its effective implementation. Implementation Strategies i i. The President to direct the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to take necessary steps for the revision of the draft Policy not later than First Quarter 2021. ii ii. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation to present the revised draft Policy to the Federal Executive Council for consideration and approval not later than Second Quarter of 2021, among others.Item Strengthening Internal Security Framework and Community Policing in Nigeria: Models, Policy Options and StrategiesSenior Executive Course No 40, 2018The global security environment is characterised by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity with serious consequences for internal security of nation-states. This has compelled many countries including Nigeria, to strengthen their internal security framework to make it more responsive to actual or perceived threats. In Nigeria, the internal security framework is not responsive enough to contemporary security challenges such as Boko Haram insurgency, farmers-herders’ conflicts, cultism, kidnapping, banditry and cattle rustling among others. There have been numerous efforts by successive administrations at addressing the security challenges in the country. In 2004, the Nigeria Police Force introduced Community policing in seven pilot states as a strategy for involving the communities in addressing security challenges within their domains. However, this strategy of policing was not adequately contextualised, structured and resourced for effective implementation. This is largely because community policing is primarily limited to the Nigeria Police Force, and does not incorporate all other internal security stakeholders. Although, the National Security Strategy of 2014 further re-enforces the need for community involvement in promoting internal security, this has not been fully implemented. In line with the public concern on the IS challenges in Nigeria and the desire to curb these mounting challenges, the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari GCFR tasked Participants of Senior Executive Course (SEC) 40/2018 to undertake a study on the theme; ‘Strengthening Internal Security Framework and Community Policing in Nigeria: Models, Policy Options and Strategies.’ In the course of the study, Participants of SEC 40/2018 interrogated several papers presented by and scholars as well as analysed many published and unpublished works of notable local and international scholars relating to our theme. We also undertook study tours of 12 States in the Federation, 11 strategic institutions, six African countries and six other countries outside the continent of Africa. The tours afforded Participants the opportunity to learn from the experiences of these countries. In seeking to contribute to the current national discourse on IS and CP in Nigeria therefore, this study explored the following objectives to achieve its aim: a. Examine the nature of the Internal Security framework and community policing in Nigeria. b. Appraise the historical and policy context of the Internal Security framework and community policing in Nigeria. c. Identify the issues of the Internal Security framework and community policing in Nigeria. d. Evaluate the appropriate models, policy options and strategies for strengthening the internal security framework and community policing in Nigeria. e. Make recommendations and proffer implementation strategies that could strengthen the internal security framework and community policing in Nigeria. The study adopted a combination of cross-sectional, case study and comparative designs. Primary data were sourced from presentations and interactions with authorities on Internal Security and on Community Policing in plenary and various tours within and outside Nigeria. The secondary data were obtained from published and unpublished reports, books, policy documents, official websites of relevant institutions and journal articles. The data were interpreted and analysed descriptively. In view of the multi-dimensional nature of issues under investigation, the study relied on a mixture of the qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Accordingly, the report consists of narrative text with substantial numerical data. The following is a summary of the major findings of IS and CP from the study: 1. The IS framework in Nigeria is characterised by centralised command and control of security agencies in which policy, legal and institutional lapses hamper its effectiveness. 2. Although the NPF is the lead agency of the IS framework, it currently lacks the operational capacity to discharge this role. 3. CP as a philosophy and operational strategy adopted to curb rising crime rate is yet to be fully implemented in Nigeria. 4. The current NPF policy framework on CP is limited to the Force and has no provision for the involvement of other security agencies. 5. Some agencies in the IS framework undertake some form of CP without officially adopting the concept of CP. 6. Traditional CP practices have not been fully integrated into modern concept of CP being currently espoused in the country. 7. The institutional challenges currently affecting the Internal Security framework have colonial origins because of the coercive and repressive uses of the security agencies during colonial era. 8. There are overlapping policies and mandates on IS in Nigeria resulting in duplication of functions. 9. There is weak policy coordination and synergy among security agencies leading to ineffective IS management. 10. The performance of security agencies is weakened by poor monitoring and evaluation mechanism. 11. There is limited engagement of non-state actors in the IS framework of the country. 12. Nigeria’s centralised internal security framework is not compatible with a federal system of government. 13. Low public confidence and trust in most security agencies adversely affect community partnership and problem solving. 14. There is shortage of human resources for the security agencies. 15. Most security agencies within the IS framework are underequipped to discharge their duties effectively. 16. There is no overarching national IS policy for the management of IS in the country. 17. There is no constitutional provision recognising the roles of traditional institutions in security management. 18. The ineffectiveness and inefficiency of the criminal justice administration system poses challenges to the IS framework. 19. Lack of harmonised data/identification of citizens and residents makes it difficult to investigate crimes. 20. There is limited application of appropriate technology in IS operations and community policing, including failure to adapt local technologies. 21. Extant IS and CP policies are not comprehensive to strengthen the IS framework and CP practices. 22. Non-implementation of several white papers on police reforms by government has limited the capacity of the NPF in IS management, amongst others.Item Industrial Relations, Labour Productivity and National Development in NigeriaSenior Executive Course No. 36, 2014Since the advent of the Fourth Republic in 1999, Nigeria has witnessed incessant and prolonged labour disputes, especially in the health and education sectors of the economy. For instance, Oyeyemi (2014) asserts that between 1992 and 2013, ASUU had been on strike for three years and six months. The incessant strike actions are counter-productive and have adverse effects on productivity and national development. According to the World Bank Report (2009), labour productivity in Nigeria has been persistently low, with an average growth rate of 1.2% for the period 2000 to 2008 which is lower than 1.9% recorded for Sub- Saharan Africa. This is as a result of high unemployment and labour market maladjustment. The country’s labour force rose steadily from 32.2million in 1980 to 42.9 million in 1992, recording a growth rate of 33%. Thereafter, the labour force fell to 30.6 million in 1993 before recovering to 31.3 million in 2000 (Umoru and Yaqub, 2013). Although, friction and labour market mal-adjustments constitute the highly fluctuating trend in employment rates in the country, this is also blamed on bad economic planning and declining electricity power generation capacity. There has been a palpable concern that the nature of Nigeria’s productivity levels and national development are a reflection of disharmonious industrial relations. Without identifying and addressing the negative trends in the political economy of Nigeria, it would be difficult to enhance industrial relations, labour productivity and national development. The aim of this report is to evaluate industrial relations, labour productivity and national development in Nigeria with a view to making policy recommendations and proffering implementation strategies for addressing observed shortcomings. The research utilised data from primary and secondary sources. Primary sources of data were obtained, principally through interviews and interactive sessions with officials and key stakeholders of states, MDAs and strategic institutions in Nigeria and selected countries in Europe and Africa. The States are Cross River, Delta, Ebonyi, Jigawa, Kogi, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Sokoto, Taraba and Zamfara. The foreign countries visited are Belgium, England, France, Ireland and Turkey, while African countries are Algeria, Ghana, Namibia, Senegal, and Zimbabwe. The National Institute also organised series of lectures, seminars, conferences, and interactive sessions with resource persons and government officials, such as Ministers, heads of parastatal, military and paramilitary chiefs. Visits were also conducted to some strategic institutions in the country from where relevant data were obtained. The institutions visited are Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) Headquarters, Abuja, Trade Union Congress (TUC) Headquarters Abuja, National Industrial Court, Jos, National Productivity Centre, Abuja, Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), Abuja and Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Headquarters, Jos. Secondary sources of data comprised documents from the States and countries visited, books, journals, past research works and the internet. Data collected were analysed qualitatively and quantitatively and presented in descriptive form. The Nigerian industrial relations environment is thus today characterised by violations of negotiated agreements and incessant strikes, which impact negatively on industrial relations, labour productivity and national development. This calls for strengthening the existing industrial relations mechanisms to create a conducive environment for regular dialogue between government and labour unions. While government needs to improve the enabling environment for labour relations to thrive, workers on the other hand, need to see unionism as a functional vehicle for the enhancement of workers’ welfare necessary for improved productivity, economic growth and national development. It is important to note commitment by the government to boost economic growth, which has resulted in the country now ranked the biggest economy in Africa. However, the over reliance on crude oil revenue remains a major challenge, which underscores the need to sustain on-going efforts to diversify the country’s economy. Towards this end, more political will and commitment would be required to boost power generation, transportation, business climate and skill acquisition to effectively support the reforms in the agriculture, solid minerals and manufacturing sectors. Work ethic and productivity in the civil service is also considered necessary for propelling economic growth and national development. The examination of the Civil Service revealed the need for a return to the basic tenets of the Service’s procedures and processes with recruitment based on merit. On the other hand, erring public officers must be identified and sanctioned in line with existing laws or regulations to serve as deterrence to others. It was established that poor implementation and loopholes in the labour laws are partly responsible for the prolonged strikes experienced across various sectors of the economy. For example, workers utilise the loopholes in Section 17(a) and (b) of the Trade Dispute Act to make strikes legal while Section 3(3) of the Act gives room for the Honourable Minister of Labour and Productivity to be a judge in his/her own matter. These Sections could be reviewed to minimise strikes and ensure timely resolution of industrial conflicts. A review of the STI for economic and national development in the country reveals the need for restructuring for greater coordination, communication and policy harmonisation to evolve a better and more coherent national strategy. It is important to note that realising the Millennium Development Goals and economic diversification are not achievable without the scientific, engineering and technical capacity. Effective science and technology partnership between the public and private sectors is also apt. There is also need to focus attention on research efforts and expenditure on the areas where the country has competitive advantage such as agriculture, petrochemicals, renewable energy, and mining. To this end, necessary mechanisms need to be evolved to improve the quality of equipment and facilities available for research and development at all levels. The report also emphasised the importance of the security environment for the promotion of industrial relations, labour productivity and national development. The upsurge of the Boko Haram insurgency in the north eastern states of Nigeria has complicated the tenuous security climate in the country. As a result, industrial and commercial activities have been grounded, particularly in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States. The prevailing situation has limited both internal trade and the inflow of foreign direct investment. The recent spirited efforts of the government to explore dialogue and equip the security forces with modern military soft and hardware equipment to counter the insurgents need to be sustained in order to further create favourable security environment for peace and labour productivity in the affected states. Furthermore, the amendment of legislation to facilitate the deliberate employment of professional military skills and resources in national development is also necessary.