This paper examines how the operation of State-Local Government Joint Account affects the impact of local government, in executing rural development programmes at the grassroots. The intention of the constitution is to forge cooperation between the state and local governments in managing efficiently local government allocations from Federation Account for the benefit of local people, but reports and agitation of the people on nature of operation of the account proves otherwise. For the purpose of contributing towards the reform of the operation of the account, the paper examines the nature of the operation of the account in some selected states, evaluates the effects of the operation on the local government impacts on rural development, and identifies ways of improving the operation of the account to achieve its objectives. In the process, descriptive analysis method was adopted in examining the available secondary data. However, the findings indicate that the state governments manipulate the account to the disadvantage of local governments. Also, most local governments are unable to contribute significantly to rural development activities because of paucity of funds. Therefore, the paper recommends way out to improve the operation of the account, instead of abolishing it, through effective budgeting; compliance, monitoring, and enforcement by Community Development Associations (CDAs); and prevention of mismanagement and diversion of funds by Anti-corruption agencies.
The focus of the study is on how to improve the justice system in Nigeria by reducing court congestion and improving access to justice through community justice system. The issue of court congestion, delay in court processes, and the inaccessibility of the justice system to the poor and uneducated is affecting the sustainable peaceful co-existence and orderliness in Nigeria. The inability of government to sustainably fund the justice system is a clear pointer that there is need for a people-centered approach to reduce the burden on government and to increase accessibility. Therefore, adopting descriptive analysis method, and relying on relevant secondary data, the paper examines the pre-colonial traditional justice system in the Yorubaland (South-west, Nigeria), and post-traditional justice system in Nigeria to identify salient issues responsible for inefficiency and inaccessibility. In the process, the paper identifies community justice as an alternative justice system and proposed the Volunteers Justice Scheme (VJS) committee, which is a non-formal alternative dispute resolution mechanism, that relies on community trust, knowledge of their tradition, with little or no financial cost incurred, no technical legal requirements and time friendly; to be established in each of the wards at the local governments level, as a framework for the operation of community justice in South-western Nigeria. Among the essential for the scheme are enabling law, a coordinating center at the local government, stakeholders’ representatives to serve as volunteers, and identifying a public building in each of the wards as venues for the operation of the committee. Thus, for effective implementation of the Scheme, the study suggests constitutional amendment to integrate the Scheme into the justice system, mass education to mobilize citizens, and training of committee members for efficient operation.
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