Olaopa made the remarks on Wednesday during the national summit of the Association of Chairmen of Local Government Service Commissions in Nigeria, held in Abuja under the theme “Strengthening Local Government Administration in Nigeria.”
Highlighting the link between local administration and public service delivery, Olaopa noted that reforms are crucial for LGSCs to support, rather than undermine, local government autonomy. He emphasized that if LGSCs are retained, their composition must be revised to include local government representatives and other key stakeholders.
He explained that under the current system, local government staff often owe allegiance to the LGSCs and state governments, rather than the local councils they serve, undermining elected authorities and hindering local policy implementation.
Olaopa proposed that LGSCs’ functions be limited to setting standards and monitoring, while local governments manage day-to-day personnel administration. He added that the success of any reformed service commission would depend on its independence to manage staff without undue interference from state or local government leadership.
On funding, Olaopa highlighted the challenge posed by inadequate financial resources, despite statutory allocations through the State-LG Joint Account. He expressed hope that reforms would address this issue, enabling investment in staff training and capacity development based on assessed needs.
Urging federal and state governments to prioritize LGSC reform, he stressed the importance of a shared vision among critical stakeholders to shape a developmental model for local governance. Olaopa also called for constitutional safeguards to ensure inter-governmental partnerships support, rather than compromise, local government autonomy.
“LGSCs can become a win-win for state and local governments if reconceived with development-focused intentions and with the FGN ensuring local autonomy is protected,” he concluded.
