Many will remember that before and after independence, local governments, cities, provinces and states exercised more power than the central government which was reduced to an appendage of the more powerful sub-national governments. No more, beginning with military rule in its several authoritarian varieties, the local governments barely now exist, municipalities are a shadow of their former selves while a centripetal mien with a vertical geography of power has long taken over the once impressive outlook of state governments. That is perhaps why there has been far more excitement and hoopla about the election at the centre with respect to 2023 than there had been about the state governments that should undergird that centre. No one needs to tell us about the beauty of effective local governments, precisely because they are closer to the people and potentially more responsible to the people they are supposed to look after. One way of remedying the misfortune of misgovernance is to return to the sub-national setting and unleash the power of leadership, making a difference.

Source: Punch December 16, 2022 09:35 UTC