2nd Term
THE STATE
GOVERNMENT AND THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT
A federal state has 3 tiers of government,
namely: Central, State and Local governments. The powers of each are clearly
defined in the constitution. There are functions exclusive to the central
government, e.g. Currency, Military etc. there are functions that both central
and state governments legislate on concurrently, e.g. tertiary education,
transportation etc. and the residual functions are left to the states.
Meaning Thus, the
meaning of state government is the second tier of government in a federal
system while the meaning of local government is the third tier of government in
a federal system. Local government can also be defined as a government
established by an act of parliament to deal with specific matters as they
affect that locality. Such matters include: Marriage registry, TV licensing, street
naming, maintenance and control of local markets, primary schools, etc.
Functions of local and state government as
pillars of democracy: (1)It brings governance closer to the people. (2)People at the grassroots can
participate in government by being part of the state or local government. (3)local government enables the
peculiar needs of the locality to be met efficiently (4)maintenance of roads (5)registration
of birth, marriages and deaths (6)maintenance
of law and order (7)provision of
recreational centers (8) provision
of health centers (9) naming of
streets (10) maintenance of some
institutions like motor parks, markets etc.
Problems of
the three tiers of government: (1)problem of revenue sharing ratio (2)problem of clash in concurrent
functions (3)Problem of divided
loyalty wherein some citizens tend to be more loyal to the interest of their
state than to that of the central government (4) Problem of secession (5)Problem
of uneven development (6)problem of
dominance at the center by a particular region (7)Problem of federal character
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