By Mohammed Bwago
With local government autonomy at the heart of Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s 9-point SMART agenda, Sokoto State is taking bold steps to reform grassroots governance and service delivery. The results of this commitment to local government autonomy are very encouraging and confirm that the governor is right in believing that the councils can deliver services.
Despite local governments being widely regarded as the closest tier of government to the people—holding the potential to drive grassroots development, deepen participatory democracy, and provide essential services that directly impact citizens’ daily lives—they were never given the necessary autonomy to function. This potential has long been undercut by weak autonomy, political interference, and over-centralisation at the state level.
But Sokoto State, under the leadership of Governor Ahmed Aliyu, has taken deliberate action to change this reality. Central to this resolve is the governor’s 9-point SMART agenda, which includes accountability, improved educational opportunities, rural development, and a commitment to local government autonomy.
This article explores how Sokoto State’s reforms are redefining local governance, the opportunities they create, and the challenges that must be addressed for their success.
Though the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria recognizes local governments as the third tier of the federation, in practice, most councils are financially and administratively dependent on their respective state governments. This has resulted in weakened governance structures, poor infrastructure, and a growing disconnect between citizens and the local councils who govern them.
Instead of being the engines of development as envisaged by the constitution, local governments in most states became victims of political interference and resource mismanagement. Instead of elected officials, appointed caretaker committees became the order of the day, thus undermining and denying communities real representation.
Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s administration is working to reverse this trend through a focused local government reform agenda aligned with his broader SMART agenda. His government has committed to conducting free, fair, and credible local government elections; granting fiscal autonomy to local councils; instituting transparent financial management and procurement systems; and improving service delivery in critical areas like health, education, roads, and sanitation.
These reforms by Governor Aliyu reflect a clear understanding that empowering local councils is not only a constitutional imperative but a development necessity. Having worked at the local government level, the governor is no doubt convinced that local government councils can deliver services if given the opportunity.
A major step in the autonomy agenda was the conduct of widely acclaimed local government elections—an essential move away from the caretaker committee syndrome—because democratic elections at the local level help build legitimacy, reduce political patronage, and foster responsive governance. Even though, fearing defeat, the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), boycotted the elections, it didn’t affect the credibility of the process.
The governor has been proven right that elected councils would prioritize the real needs of their communities because they would be held accountable by the people they serve. This reaffirms the governor’s commitment to participatory democracy and inclusive development.
Another key reform initiative involved granting local councils greater control over their finances, particularly their share of the Federation Account. This has allowed the councils to plan and execute development projects tailored to local needs.
To complement fiscal autonomy, Governor Aliyu’s administration has introduced strong accountability measures, including regular audits, performance benchmarks, and transparent procurement processes. These reforms have minimized corruption, promoted trust, and ensured that public funds deliver real value at the community level, just as they do at the state level. Governor Aliyu is one governor known to fund his projects without taking any loans.
Ultimately, the purpose of local government reform is to improve service delivery across key sectors—especially in underserved rural areas.
Can the local government councils add value to the SMART agenda, which identifies healthcare, education, rural infrastructure, and environmental sanitation as top priorities? Absolutely. The evidence is there that with autonomy, local councils can respond more effectively to specific community challenges, like revamping primary health centres or constructing markets. This bottom-up development model ensures that interventions are aligned with the state government’s efforts.
Though there will always be challenges, thankfully Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s commitment will check those intent on derailing the autonomy. And having embarked on the reforms in his first term, he has sufficient time to address the administrative capacity issues that have hampered the councils’ ability to manage their responsibilities, institute proper oversight, and entrench financial autonomy. By his second term, these challenges would have been addressed, making the reforms difficult to reverse. He understands that he must protect the reform agenda.
Moving forward, the governor should equip the Office of the Auditor-General to monitor councils effectively, invest in capacity building for council staff in areas like budgeting, planning, procurement, and public financial management. Finally, because information is critical in the 21st century—and because involving the people in governance is essential—the councils should promote civic engagement.
Sokoto State’s bold push for local government autonomy under Governor Ahmed Aliyu’s SMART agenda is a significant and timely effort to restore governance to the grassroots. And because it is being properly implemented, the reforms will definitely transform Sokoto State’s councils into genuine engines of development.
At a time when citizens are demanding more responsive governance and tangible improvements in their lives, Sokoto’s commitment offers a model worth replicating by other states. Local government autonomy is no longer just a constitutional provision; in Sokoto, it is a reality.
