Local Government Administration and Development: A Survey of Oredo Local Government Area of Edo State, Nigeria

The need to escape conditions of underdevelopment by the provision ofadequate facilities for its citizenry is the concern of any nation state. It hasalso been accepted that this is better done by bringing government closer tothe people. This underscores the philosophy behind the creation of localgovernments. In Nigeria however, it is sad to note that local governmentshave performed far below expectations in the above direction. It is in thiswise that this paper takes a survey of the opinions of people in Oredo LocalGovernment Area of Edo State. Using simple percentages to analyzeresponses to questions, the authors found out that though funds available tolocal governments are grossly inadequate, there is the general impressionthat the little money made available are directed into private pockets. It isour recommendations that local governments should increase their revenuebase and also ensure proper accountability