EXTENSION ACTIVITIES OF THE VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS IN NIGERIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Introduction   

A good understanding of the structural-functional analysis tells us that every structure is meant to perform a function. The structures of local government were designed to perform certain functions. Hence, it is important to point out that the way and manner these structures are designed will go a long way in determining how far it will live up to the expectation of delivering the goods to the people. Local government is said to be that level of government that is closest to the people, such that it is that level of government that is supposed to meet the needs of the people most efficiently. Thus, to achieve this end local government carryout what is known as Extension Service.

In this paper, it shall be our burden to understand the way and manner local government in Nigeria go about performing their extension activities. To do this, we shall make an attempt at briefly understanding the meaning of local government as well as the meaning of the concept of Extension Services as it relate to local government. Thereafter, we shall take the extension services of each department that makes up the Nigerian version of local government.

Although there seem to be a myriad of definitions for local government, we shall be concerned with local government as government at the local level exercised through representative council establish by law to exercise specific powers within defined areas and it is expected to do precisely what the word government implies.

Extension services on the other hand may refer to either of the following;

• an outreach services which clearly moves the activities of an organization from the headquarters to the field.

• as a form of decentralization where the delegation of authority adequate for the discharge of specified functions are given to staff of central department who are situated outside the headquarters.

As a matter of fact, when the activities of local government run out of the headquarters into the localities, we have extension services and the persons manning these offices are known as extension workers.

Nigerian local governments are divided into six departments of;

1.  Personnel Management Department
2. Finance and Supply Department
3.  Primary Health Care Department
4. Agriculture and Natural resources Department
5. Works, Housing, Land and Survey Department
6. Education and Social development Department

Each of these departments is further subdivided into units and sections. It is through some of these units that local governments carryout their extension activities. Thus our attention shall be centered on only those units that local government employ for the purpose under discuss.

EXTENSION ACTIVITIES OF THE VARIOUS

DEPARTMENTS OF NIGERIAN LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Department of Personnel Management

The department is the engine room of all local government programs and activities. Issues of personnel management and coordination of all functions of the other departments are done here. The head of this department is known as the Director of Personnel Management (DPM). He is a senior civil servant who attends both local government council and Finance and General Purpose Committee (F&GPC). This department consists of the following units; central administration unit, legal unit, internal audit unit, traditional council/district administration, area development and commercial undertaking unit. 

Extension activities of this department are carried out basically by the traditional council/district administration unit. And this is done through the District Head, Ward Heads and Village Heads respectively. They settle disputes between individuals, families, and groups and report back to the local government headquarters. They also help in disseminating vital information to the local people on behalf of the local government.

Department of Finance, Supply and Planning

This department is responsible for the preparation of budget estimate and control of expenditure of the local government. The department is headed by the Treasurer who advice the local government on financial matters. He is in charge of supplies of all stores requirement, stationery, office equipment, furniture etc. all payment of emoluments, allowances, contract payment of the local government are made through this department.

The department consist of the following units; finance, revenue, stores, and budget units. The extension activities of this department are basically carried out through the revenue unit. And their duties are to collect revenue in order to raise funds to support the administration of the local government. They collect revenue from the following areas; motor parks, slaughter houses and slabs, kiosks, property tax, tenement rate, registration of marriages, deaths and births, licenses, fees and fines. All these form the source of local government internal revenue. 

Department of Primary Health Care (PHC)

  

This department is saddled with the responsibility of ensuring the medical well-being of the people within the local government and it is divided into the following units; preventive, curative/medical, environmental, National Program for Immunization (NPI), monitoring and evaluation, maternal and child health, essential drugs, and disease control units.

The extension activities of this department are basically carried out by the following units; 
Environmental unit- they carry out routine sanitary inspection from house to house to ensure that the environment in which the people live in are clean for human habitation. They are also responsible for refuse collection and disposal via their refuse collection trucks and dump them at appropriate dump sites at the outskirts of the town.

National Program for Immunization (NPI) unit; local government collaborate with state and federal government and other agencies to carry out immunization against polio, meningitis, tetanus etc., and this unit go from house to house to carry out these functions.

Maternal and child health unit; they render midwifery services to the local women during and after child labour. They also render free consultancy services to women on their nutrition during pregnancy as well as advice the women on exercising during pregnancy.

Preventive unit; they control water pollution and ensure water treatment so as to ensure safe drinking water as well as prevent water borne diseases.

Department of Agriculture and Natural Resources
The department comprises of agricultural extension, veterinary, forestry and home economics units. These four units are headed by qualified staff for effective analysis and implementation of programs of their respective units.

The extension activities of this department are carried out through the following units;

Agricultural extension unit; they educate farmers on how to better manage their crops, how to use organic and inorganic fertilizers for high yields, how to use water pumping machines for irrigation, how to apply mechanized farming such as the use of tractors and harvesters as well as on storage of crops.

Veterinary unit; they carry out meat inspection to ensure that the meats that are sold in the markets are safe for human consumption and free from any form of diseases and infections. They also carry out veterinary services in the areas of vaccination of animals, provision of grazing ground and incubators, provision and maintenance of slaughter houses and slabs. 

Department of Works, Housing, Land and Survey

This is the department in charge of programs and policies on works, housing and development and it is sub-divided into the following units; land and survey, mechanical, electrical, building, water supply, civil engineering, and maintenance units. 

The extension activities of this department are carried put through the land and survey unit. They make routine inspection of the local government to ensure that there are no land disputes between individuals and groups. They also take a routine inspection of the area so as to ensure that there are no illegal constructions of buildings in the area. Such structures, if found, are demolished by this unit. The unit also ensures that illegal signposts/signboards are not erected in the area.

Department of Education and Social Development

The department is responsible for the local government social welfare, primary and adult education, and community women and youth activities. They also enlighten people on contemporary issues of importance. This department is further divided into the following units; adult education, information, social welfare, and community development units.
The department provides extension services in the following areas;

Adult education unit; here people are taught how to read, write and perform simple numerical exercise so as to step up the level of literacy in the society. People are also taught how to make hand crafts such as bags, tie and dye as well as tailoring.

Information unit; they enlighten people on current issues of importance. They could be seen every once in a while disseminating information in the locality.

Community development unit; they maintain public conveniences, open spaces, parks, provision of libraries and reading rooms.

Social welfare unit; their duty here is to control the activities of beggars, prostitutes and the repatriation of destitute as well as provision of homes for the incapacitated. The also monitor the activities of restaurants, eateries and food houses.

CONCLUSION

As the above as shown, extension services allow local government to effectively reach out to the people of the grassroots so that they can feel the presence of their own government. Extension services therefore provide the local government and the people an opportunity to converge and are seen to converge. Extension service in fact gives meaning to the idea of local government as that government that is closest to the people. 

References:

1. Usman Abubakar, Lecture Note on Extension Service, Department of Local Government Studies, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, 2007.
2. Misi o. Olawale, Local Government As An Agent Of Rural Development , an undergraduate project from Department of Public Administration, Ahmadu Bello university, Zaria, 2006