Structure of Local Government in Nigeria

Each Local Government authority has an elected Chairman, Councilors and career Civil Servants. Each Council is headed by a Chairman, who is elected for a three-year term. Each Council must have at least one Finance and General Purpose Committee and any other two outstanding Committees. The Chairman exercises ExecutiveThe executive, also referred to as the executive branch or executive power, is the term commonly used to describe that part of government which enforces the law and has overall responsibility... More Powers.

The Council has in membership, the Chairman and elected Councillors. They perform legislativeThe legislative branch of government is responsible for making laws within a country. Legislatures are made up of people called legislators who, in democracies, are elected by the country’s population More functions. They make bye-lawsBy-law is a rule established by an organization, council or board to regulate its activities and manage internal affairs. Local governments may use bylaws for various purposes, especially to regulate, prohibit... More.

Councillors provide information to the community about the policies and decisions of the council, and the community relays its desires, concerns, and opinions to the council through the councillors.

The Chairman and the Secretary of the local government run the local government on a day-to-day basis. (The Secretary is not elected but appointed).

There is the existence of a Local Government Service Commission at the state level that appoints, promotes, and disciplines local government officers.

In an equal local Government area, there is a traditional council or emirate council that coordinates the traditional rulers. The traditional rulers do not have a direct role in local government administration and this has been the case since 1976.