Nigeria has 774 local government areas (LGAs) . Each LGA is administered by a local government council consisting of a chairman, who is the chief executive, and other elected members, who are referred to as councillors. Each LGA is further subdivided into a minimum of ten and a maximum of twenty wards, which are administered by a councillor who reports directly to the LGA chairman. The councillors fall under the legislative arm of the local government, which is the third tier of government in Nigeria, below the state governments and the federal government.

The functions of local governments are detailed in the Nigerian constitution and include economic recommendations to the state, collection of taxes and fees, establishment and maintenance of cemeteries, burial grounds, and homes for the destitute or infirm. The core functions of local government also include pre-school, primary and adult education, public health, town planning, roads and transport, and waste disposal.

Despite their importance, local governments in Nigeria are fundamentally corrupt, flawed by design, and not fit for purpose. State and local elites use them to enrich themselves, build patronage networks, and manipulate political outcomes. Monumentally wasteful, Nigeria’s local governments have provided barely any public goods and services despite gulping over 16.4 trillion naira ($76 billion) in national petroleum and tax revenues between 2011 and 2021.