The fact that councillors continue to be superfluous in the scheme of things at the local government councils could be traced to the ambiguities in Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution. In these circumstances, lawmakers in most state legislatures exploit the situation to undermine the constitutionally assigned roles of the councillors in the third tier of governance. SEYE OLUMIDE reports how the 8809 councillors across 774 councils merely earn salaries from tax-payers money without commensurate services.

The seeming irrelevance of the estimated 8809 councillors spread across the 774 Local Governments in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja, has continued as a sore point in the much talked about Local Government autonomy in Nigeria.

Several efforts have been made in the recent past to address the issues and challenges thwarting the Local Government system in Nigeria. However, one critical aspect, which has not received adequate attention as yet, is what should be the constitutional roles of the councillors, who ordinarily should serve the legislative roles for the councils.

By virtue of their official job description, the primary responsibilities of councillors include, making of by-laws that govern their local government areas, ensuring that the stipulations align with the state and federal laws, legislating on the budget of the councils with the power to participate in budget preparation, approval, and appropriation, ensuring that funds are allocated efficiently.

They are also expected to carry out oversight and accountability functions by monitoring the activities of the local government, ensuring that policies are implemented and that the executive arm, which revolves around the chairman’s office, is accountable.

https://guardian.ng/politics/how-constitutional-constraints-hamstrung-councillors-role-in-lgas/