LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN NIGERIA- A short Insight

Across the globe, it is believed that participation is one of the crux in democracy. Democracy in a concise form is government of the people by the people and for the people - *Abraham Lincoln.
 John Stuart Mills, one of the major proponent of Democratic-Partipatory School of Thought, who advocates that the best form of local government is its explanation, is one which allows democratic participation of the people at the local level to get involved in governance at the grassroot level, to allow their inputs, in ideas and initiatives.
The 1976 cum 1984 local government reform in Nigeria was meant to be a ground breaking evolution of local government in Nigeria(which lasted for a few years), but over the years the recognition and essentiality of local government in Nigeria has been dwindling.
For almost a decade, local government election has not been conducted in over 80% of local governments (774) across the country in which the major reason can be traced to the encroachment of state government in local government administration .For these years, Caretaker Committees have been set up to see to the affairs of local government in these States.
The negative impacts of State Government on Local government cannot be overemphasised seeing it has made local government councils handicap and has transformed them to be a tools in the hand of the state drivers, rather than being seen as a separate tier or level of government.(1979 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria).
Oyo state local government election held on the 18th May, 2018 saw the ruling political party sweeping the whole 33local governments in the state shows the level of our political participation-paradox
What then is the principle of our democracy?

Bolawa Pelumi Solomon