THE BRIDGE

What role for tradit ional . As the National Assembly is set to review the 1999 Constitution, traditional rulers are agitating for constitutional roles. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU examines the crises that may brew between the monarchs and politicians as actors on the same pedestal in the murky waters of power struggle. When the late President Umaru Yar’Adua proposed new constitutional roles for traditional rulers, the move provoked a fresh debate on the significance of the traditional institution in the country. Nigerians were divided on the issue. On one hand were stakeholders who held the view that the involvement of royal fathers in politics would pitch them against their subjects who are politicians. On the other hand were those who believed that, judging by the high educational status of the traditional rulers, the institution could add value to public administration. However, the National Council for Traditional Rulers (NCTR) proposed by the former President crea

a Council of Chiefs for them in the regions and some of them were even regional governors. The 1979 Constitution gave them representation in the National Council of State. *   *   *   *   * The Role of Traditional Rulers in an Emerging Democratic Nigeria By Uche Nworah Introduction I bring you greetings from fellow Nigerians living in the diaspora, I believe that I speak the mind of every Nigerian living in the diaspora who would wish that the outcome of the deliberations today will contribute positively towards a new Nigerian constitution, a constitution that not only recognises the invaluable role our royal fathers and traditional rulers can play in national development, but most importantly a constitution that truly guarantees equity, freedom, prosperity and justice to all Nigerians. It is on this note that I will like to inform us all that the millions of Nigerians living in the diaspora have not abandoned ship. We are all equally involved and as passionate and committed to

E VERYTHING ABOUT LOCAL GOVT . Aristotle, the great Greek philosopher, who was described by Dante, the Latin poet, as the “master of those who know”, had suggested that “definition of terms (names ) is the beginning of any discussion” rendered in Latin as “initio disputandi est definitio nominis”. In line with the above glaring veracity, I COMRADE HENRY AGBESO ,he writer intends to give explication of key terms used in this address. Before such an exercise in linguistic analysis, however, permit the writer to declare that this writeup intends, secondarily, to indicate the extent to which the United Nations Millennium Development Goals have been attained at the Local Government level of administration in Nigeria, the Niger Delta and our States in particular. However, the paper focuses more and primarily on the responsibility of the local government towards the attainment of these self-same goals. We thus wish to explicate the concept of Local Government and to give a cursory insigh

WHAT DOES LOCAL GOVERNMENT DO? Councils achieve their goals and fulfil their functions in various ways: Planning & monitoring Local governments set the overall direction for their municipalities through long-term planning. Examples include council plans, financial plans, municipal strategic statements and other strategic plans. Setting the vision, and then ensuring that it is achieved, is one of the most important roles of local government. Service delivery Local government is responsible for managing and delivering a range of quality services to their communities, such as public health and recreational facilities, local road maintenance, and public libraries. Lawmaking & enforcement Local governments legislate and make decisions in areas over which they have legislative authority. Local laws are not allowed to replicate or be inconsistent with state and federal laws or the operative planning scheme. The laws made by local governments are called local laws and cover iss

ABSTRACT Local governments are not sovereign unlike independent nation-states. It is a subordinate government, which derives its existence and power from law enacted by a superior government. The nature and structure of transactions or interactions between the three tiers of government determine the degree of autonomy. Local government in Nigeria is rooted on historical antecedents of reforms. This paper examines the contradictions in local government system and suggests that the sustainability of local government autonomy should anchor on improved revenue base adherence to constitutional provisions, political stability accountability and transparency in governance

Local government autonomy in Nigeria Local governments are essentially created to deliver services at the grassroots and bring governance closer to the people. This division of power simplifies the activities of government and serves as a viable incentive for good governance and development. It has also been observed that the local government system serves as the most effective avenue for delivering basic goods and services to local communities. Nigeria is a federation, with three tiers of government; hence power is shared among its constituent units, which are empowered to make policies and take decisions on certain matters, as well as share common areas of interest with other institutions of government. To this end, certain services are expected to be more efficiently provided by certain levels of government.  The country’s constitution usually specifies the powers of each level of government so that there would be harmony and mutual cooperation in the administration of the system,

Between States and local Governmen t Local governments were of late been opinionated to be scraped due to what the proposers considered incessant sheer wastages of the entity’s resources, mainly statutory. This galvanized sensitive conscience of ALGON and NULGE to opposed the motion in its entirety.   I wish to join them by saying that local government system has been established and has operated under the ambit of Nigerian constitution. That is to say it has become issue of constitutional importance within the Nigerian context. Also local governments are no more of administrative law but of constitutional law.   The enormous importance of local governments today, by their mandatory functions and by their historical survival have outgrown that of states government who only proves to be mumbo jumbo. The existence of state government in the country have unfortunately thwarted the efforts of the Federal government to fully decongest and decentralizes its functions which in principle

The Relationship Among The Three Tiers of Government in Nigeria The Relationship Among The Three Tiers of Government in Nigeria The three tiers of government in Nigeria includes the federal, state and local. A federation is an association or a union of autonomous states that come together for the purpose of enhancing better relationship or improving their common good. This presupposes that it is imperative for the component states and the central government to co-operate so as to realize the common good of which they crave for. The first area of cooperation or relationship among the three tiers of government in Nigeria is the area of power sharing. As it has been noted earlier above, exclusive list belong to the federal government, concurrent list to both federal and state while the residual is strictly for the states. Sometimes responsibilities are shifted among the tiers of government. For instance primary education which is exclusive area of the states are sometimes taken up by

DRIVERS DESERVE BETTER TREATMENT, Prof. Kembe The Vice-Chancellor, Benue State University, Makurdi, Professor Msugh Moses Kembe has said Drivers in any institution/establishment, whether public/private, deserve better treatment to perform their work optimally. Professor Kembe disclosed this at the Senior Staff Club, Benue State University, Makurdi during the celebration of End of Year Party and Award Night for Drivers of the University. He explained that drivers perform the most challenging and tasking schedules in organizations; traversing the length and breadth of the country but are most neglected and abandoned group as regards their welfare. The Vice-Chancellor maintained that, it is based on the need to improve their performance that he constructed an Office Complex for Drivers in the University and also approved a 3-day training Competency Assessment Protocol for Drivers conducted by the Benue State Command, Federal Road Safety Corps to enhance their performance. Professor Kembe

Top 3 Theories of Population . The following points highlight the top three theories of population. The theories are: 1. The Malthusian Theory of Population 2. The Optimum Theory of Population 3. The Theory of Demographic Transition. Population: Theory # 1. The Malthusian Theory of Population: Thomas Robert Malthus enunciated his views about population in his famous book, Essay on the Principle of Population as it affects the Future Improvement of Society, published in 1798. Malthus revolted against the prevailing optimism shared by his father and Godwin that a perfect state could be attained if human restraints could be removed. Malthus objection was that the pressure of increasing population on the food supply would destroy perfection and there would be misery in the world. Malthus was severely criticised for his pessimistic views which led him to travel on the continent of Europe to gather data in support of his thesis. ADVERTISEMENTS: He incorporated his researches in the sec

Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher during the Enlightenment era of the late 18th century. His best known work is the Critique of Pure Reason. Synopsis Immanuel Kant was born on April 22, 1724, in Konigsberg, Prussia, or what is now Kaliningrad, Russia. While tutoring, he published science papers, including "General Natural History and Theory of the Heavens" in 1755. He spent the next 15 years as a metaphysics lecturer. In 1781, he published the first part of  Critique of Pure Reason . He published more critiques in the years preceding his death on February 12, 1804, in the city of his birth. Early Life  Immanuel Kant was the fourth of nine children born to Johann Georg Cant, a harness maker, and Anna Regina Cant. Later in his life, Immanuel changed the spelling of his name to Kantto to adhere to German spelling practices. Both parents were devout followers of Pietism, an 18th-century branch of the Lutheran Church. Seeing the potential in the young man, a local p