Contrary to widespread reports by State Governors and some analysts, it is not true that Nigeria is the first and only country in the world that elevated Local Government Administration into the status of a third tier of government.
Yugoslavia, that famous country that existed in East and Central Europe from 1918-1992, made local government it’s third tier of government under Marshall Josip Broz Tito long before Nigeria thought of the Dasuki Report of 1979.
On this, see ‘Local Self-Government in Yugoslavia by Jovan Djordjevic (1953)’
And our African ‘frenemy’, the Republic of South Africa, also ‘copied’ the Nigerian example by making the local government it’s third tier of government. Chapter 7 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa has a very detailed provision on the functions and powers of the local government.
The long and short of this ‘turenchi’ is that there is no model federalism anywhere in the world. All states are at liberty to develop their unique federalism in line with their peculiarities.
