AGENA JAMES
Department of Political Science
Ebonyi State University
ABSTRACT
The concept of local governance and state building is very topical in contemporary studies. The need to construct a viable state demands that all institutions within the state play fundamental roles in the task of realizing this mission. This paper seeks to review the contributions of local governance in state building in Ebonyi State using the Development Centres as a point of departure. The paper delves into the reasons behind the creation of Development Centres by the Ebonyi state government. However, the paper argues that the continued lack of infrastructure in the rural areas clearly depicts the non-realization of government set objectives. The paper recommends reduction in the number of development centres so far in existence and that the administration of development centres be entrusted in the hands of honest but experienced serving or retired civil servants rather than be left to the whims and caprices of politicians.
INTRODUCTION
The primacy of governance at the local government level is to ensure that even development gets to the rural people. Obasi Igwe (2004) opines that:
regardless of the epoch of our national evolution, the form of government, and the nature of the political and ruling classes, local governance had always been considered an inescapable bulwark of the political system, and accepted by all as an important means of extending and encouraging political .participation to millions of people, and possibly also bringing development at the very door -steps of the citizens.
This goes to show that local governance essentially is to ensure that even development gets to the rural people. It is reasoned that rural development is a sine qua non for national development. A closer look at Nigeria, with a population of well over one hundred and forty four million people (2006 census) and over seventy (70) percent of the people residing at the rural areas brings to the fore that efficient governance at the local level will not only stimulate growth at that level, but will also have a significant impact on the overall development in the state. Bello Imam (1996) agrees with this position when he opines that “local government constitutes the most critical level of government at which the momentum to sustain national development can be created”.
The World Bank defines governance as “the exercise of political authority and the use of institutional resources to manage society’s problems and affairs.” Drawing analogy from the above definition, it becomes crystal clear that the essence of local governance is, apart from the exercise of political authority, the use of the resources of the state to cater for the development of the rural areas while, at the same times managing the problems that might arise therein.
It is an indubitable reality that the fundamental role of local governance in the realization of state building cannot be ignored. They engage in the task of keeping law and order, basic sanitation, constructing and maintaining local roads, supplying water, administering local schools, providing skill training and employment for residents amongst others. One cannot but agree the fact that when these essential services arc well provided by local administrators, life will be worthwhile in the country taking cognizance of the fact that majority of the populace lives in the rural areas, and it is an effective way of building the state.
The evolution of local governance in Nigeria has a colonial origin. During the colonial era, the Native Authority System was used in the administration of the ‘Indirect Rule’ system. However, this system continued till the 1950s when effective legislation were in place in the Eastern, Western and Northern regions of Nigeria as to the structure of the local government system in the regions.
For instance in the East, the 1950s, Local Government Act saw the evolution of three – tier council system (the County council, District and Local councils) with each tier enjoying a reasonable degree of independence. Also in the West, the 1952 Ordinance equally put in place three tier system comprising of Divisional, District and Local Councils with each having specific functions to perform. However, in the North a two – tier system emerged (chiefs-in-council and chief-and-council) following the collapse of the sole Native Authority. According to Orewa and Adewumi (1983):
the Northern Region introduced a number of reform measures in the Native Authority Law of1954 in response to the democratic needs of the people. The sole native authorities were transformed into chief-in-council and chiefs-and-council and federated native authorities, with non-traditional members either being elected or nominated.
However, when the military came into the political scene in 1966, a lot of changes were introduced into local governance. The military not quite comfortable with the different patterns of local government administrations in the three regions, embarked on a nation-wide reform of the system in 1976, culminating in the uniformity of local government administration in Nigeria.
It is however noteworthy to state that local government operation in Nigeria up till 1966 when the Military struck, were all modeled after the British Pattern of local governance. For instance the inefficiency of the County Council system governance could be attributed to the realities that the system was alien to the Nigerian environment and people,
The structure of local governance in Nigeria after the Military coup of 1966 in Nigeria experienced a number of reforms from the Development Administration system in the Eastern Nigeria that had its foundation in the village to the council Manager system in Western Nigeria, which was borrowed from the American and Canadian Local Authority system, and it the North where all the chiefs-in-council and senior councils with chiefs a\ ceremonials presidents of council (Emezi, 1987:27)
The federal Military government, not very comfortable with this diverse system of governance at the local level, embarked on a nation-widd reform of the local government system in 1976 and this reform, obviouslj brought about the uniformity of local government administration in th(j country.
Notwithstanding the 1976 reform that introduced uniformity ii local administration, local governance has continued to experience a lot o| policy changes and administrative structures. The present structure of loci administration is associated with the regime of Ibrahim Babangida with nil replacement of the sole administrative system characteristics of the Buhari’s administration. According to Bello-Imam (1996)
As a result of the new needs of local democracy and grassroots socio-economic development, emphasized by the administration and particularly the fact that old vices, characteristic of the local government structure still existed, the Federal Government resorted to clearly spelling out the basis of local governments especially as at 1987 the relationship between states and Local Governments was still definitely super-ordinate.
It was as a result of the prevailing situation about Local Government, that the Federal Government adopted some comprehensive and well-defined measures aimed at radically reforming the structure, finance and administration of local governments to make them viable and effective centers of development (A. Aikhomu, 1988:4).
The aim is to make local governments viable and in a vantage position to contribute to state building. This singular objective has made succeeding administrations in the country to apart from engaging in policy changes in the local government system, go a step further in creating local government areas.
The present political dispensation in the country has however brought in another dimension to local governance. Relying on the section 8, sub section 3′(a) and (b) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that empowers the states to make laws for the existence and operations of local government, most states promptly embarked on the carving out of new local governments.
However, the lacuna in the constitution, that makes for returns of local governments, so created, to be forwarded to the National Assembly for the reasons of appropriation of funds to the new local government gave the Federal Government sweeping powers to stop the craze for creation of new Local Governments and this made most of the states to change the status of the new local government so created, to ‘Development Centres,’ as the then President threatened to withhold funds accruing to Local Governments in states that created new local governments.
The only state that failed to comply with the Obasanjo’s directives as regards newly created local governments was Lagos state and the government made good his threat by withholding over thirty (30) billion naira funds meant for Lagos state, even when the Supreme Court passed a judgment urging the Federal Government to release the funds to the state. It was not until the coming into government, of Yar’adua that the money was released to Lagos state. Today states like Ebonyi, Enugu, Imo, Bayelsa, Kogi, Plateau, Sokoto, Yobe etc have Development centers.
However, it is interesting to note that while some of the states placed the Development Centres in equal status with Local Governments, others placed the Development Centres within the supervisory powers of local governments, from where they were carved out.
DEFINITION OF LOCAL GOVERNANCE AND STATE BUILDING
Pinning the concept of local governance to a universally accepted definition is difficult. This arises from the realities that there abound numerous definitions and meanings given to the phenomenon by scholars and administrators alike.
The UNDP’s Regional Project on Local Governance for Latin America sees governance as
The rules of the political system to solve conflicts between ‘ actors and adopt decision (legality). It has also been used to describe the proper functioning of institutions and their acceptance by the public (legitimacy). And it has been used to invoke the efficacy of government and the achievement of consensus by democratic means (participation),
Local governance is also known as local administration and there is ‘ usually a distinction between Local Government and Local Governance or Administration. This is because Local Government is usually a legal entity that enjoys a substantial autonomy, with a council composed of elected representatives of the people and has specific functions assigned to it legally (Ezeani, 2004:30)
Local administration on the other hand has been defined by Rondinelli (1981) as
a form of decentralization in which all subordinate levels of government within a country are agents of the central autonomy, usually the executive branch, regions, provinces, districts, municipalities and other units of government headed by or are responsible directly to a central government agency….and the heads of the local administration serve at the pleasure of the nation’s chief executive.
The above definition of local governance brings to the fore, the fact that local governance is essentially the administration of localities under the control of either the federal or state government for the purposes of ensuring that they embark on programmes that contribute to state building.
A review of the policies of successive administrations in Nigeria points to the fact that local governance has been put in place in some many instances. The Babangida’s era of Sole Administrator System, the Abacha’s Caretaker Committee, the Obasanjo’s transition committee and the present management committees in Development Centres in Ebonyi State are all good examples of local governance.
The characteristics of local governance or administration are vividly captured by Ezeani (2004) as follows:-
- It lacks substantive autonomy, which makes it impossible for local agents to take authoritative decisions, which are binding on the citizens. It simply complies or acts according to the policy guidelines handed down to it by the central authority.
b, Local administration exists mainly to execute policies and
programmes formulated by the central authority to which it is directly responsible and accountable.
- The central authority directly appoints and controls the staff of the local administration. Thus, the members of the local body are not elected
representatives of the local peoples.
d. There exists a defined pattern of hierarchical control of powers and functions and also, of channel of communication from the agents of local administration and vice versa, and which the latter must strictly adhere.
e.
Local administration lack financial autonomy. The central and state government determines and controls its finances.
State building on the other hand is a term used in state theory to describe the construction of a functioning state. Tilly (1975) opines that the concept of state building was first used in connection to the creation of states in Western Europe and focused on the power enforcement of state in society. He went further to state the advantages of state building in Europe as follows:-
* Provides for the emergence of specialized personnel.
* Provides for control over consolidated territory, loyalty and durability.
* Provides for permanent institutions with a centralized and autonomous state that holds the monopoly of violence over a given population.
The United Nations (2004) use the concept of state building to describe ” internationally assisted attempts to build, or re-build, the institutions of state in weak, post conflict or failing state”. The organization sees the peace keeping operations it usually undertakes in different conflict areas around the world as state building.
A United Nation’s Report of the high-level panel on threats, dial lenges and change sees the concept thus:
State building represents a belief that one of the weaknesses of many of the past UN peace-keeping missions had been an inadequate focus on the state that was left behind after the peacekeeping mission withdrew. Many of those missions were not able to create sustainable peace, with a high proportion of the states returning to conflict when the peace keeping withdrew, or emerging as weak and unstable states. The United Nations (through complex peace-keeping operations), the UN Development Programme, the World Bank and many bilateral donors have increasingly adopted state-building in their aid and development strategy.
While appreciating the meaning given to the concept of state building by the United Nations, the present study will however adopt the meaning to the concept in line with the position of Tilly (1975) who describes state building as:
the construction of a functioning state that will lead to the emergence of specialized personnel, allow for control over the territory and the building of a centralized and autonomous state that holds the monopoly of violence.
It is believed in Nigeria and Ebonyi State in particular, that the low level of development cannot make for effective state building. As a way out of this unwanted development, the contributions of the Development Centres especially in transforming the rural areas is already a giant strive towards the construction of the state.
THE ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNANCE IN STATE BUILDING
Governance at the local level is usually a creation of the state or federal government that usually appoints the officials that administer such areas. This initiative was usually in response to the idea of development from below, seen as the best form of development and which touches the whole environment and benefits a greater majority of the populace. This position has the support of Maddick (1963) when he states that:-
To achieve social change and general economic growth, requires a spreading of efforts so that local communities and individuals can participate to bring under ideal conditions, energy, enthusiasm and most important of all, local initiative to the working out of local development activities;…local authorities provided the opportunity for local people to participate in local decisions and local schemes within the general national policies and to act above all, as local centre. of initiatives and activity conducive to development. Bello – Imam (1996) aptly gives the role of local governance in state building to include:
Promotion of Economic growth from below
Provision of services
Promotion of Political Integration and National Unity
Promotion of local freedom/autonomy
Enhancement of grass root democracy.
The realization of bottom-top economic growth has always been made possible through the instrumentalities of local governance. For instance, in certain countries where agriculture is their major foreign exchange earner, local administrators have enhanced the speedy development of agriculture. In Israel, the contributions of the kibutz in her mechanized agriculture are commendable. Also in developing countries, where majority of the populace engage in farming, it has accelerated national development and welfare of the majority of the populace. Esman, M.J. and Upholt, M. T. (1984) agree with the above position when they assert that “Local organizations are necessary, if not a sufficient condition for accelerated development, which emphasizes improvement in the productivity and welfare of majority of the rural people “
Local governance also engages in the provision of services. It is within the purview of local institution, to engage in services like caring for the community’s poor, the aged, handicapped and even orphans, while also engaging in local capacity building. They also provide services in the areas of maintenance of local markets, parks, health dispensaries and feeder roads. These services that are provided by the local councils have been highly commended by John Staurt Mill (1988) when he stated that “if local governments did not exist, it would have had to be created to ensure that these services are provided”
Another area that local administration has impacted on the overall development of the state is in the promotion of political integration and national unity. According to Bello Imam (1996) “Local government has a way of promoting national unity through the opportunity it affords for popular political participation. It also trains citizens in the act of political leadership “.
Notwithstanding the realities that the above position seems a difficult task for local government in the African continent, judging from the happenings in the continent, efforts should be made towards realizing this. However, Dele Olowu (1988) states that “experience has shown that local administrators rather than integrate, attempt at imposing a core culture that has exacerbated existing differences and even instigated secessionist movement.” Be that as it may, current political education and awareness among the rural population in Nigeria is rapidly addressing this problem.
Promotion of local freedom and autonomy is yet another major function that local governance is performing that is adding flavour to national development. In Nigeria, local governments enjoy some air of autonomy, and judging from the fact that they are the nearest government to the rural people they provide the needed opportunities for the rural people •o complain about services provided to them and for the local governments perform their assigned functions, there is need for a reasonable autonomy to be granted them. This will invariably bring about development in the rural areas. Another interesting area within the purview of local administration that has great impact on state building is the area of grass root democracy. In Nigeria today emphasis is placed on grass root democracy and to be recognized politically in the country, you have to start from the grass root. In the words of Bello Imam(1996:ll)
The popular participation inculcated at this level of government is not merely an end in itself, beyond the opportunity for popular participation, it serves to provide political training for local politicians and inculcate in them democratic attitudes and ideas.
Another dimension to the above position is the belief in the Nigerian political milieu, that when a politician graduates from the grass root and eventually gains ascendancy to the national level, it gives him the opportunity to appreciate the problems of the rural dwellers and tackles them head long while at the same time getting the support of many of the populace. This singular factor has changed Nigeria’s political arena as every politician no matter how highly placed can only be regarded as popular and acceptable when he/she wins at the grass root level.
Equally contributing to the role of local governance to state building in Ebonyi State Mr. Ngwu (2008) a Deputy Director in the State Ministry of Local Governance and Chieftaincy Matters asserts that:
Local governance has indeed played a major role in stale building. When one looks at the timely implementation of decisions of the state government in the areas of free and compulsory primary and secondary school education, bore holes, that have helped in the total eradication of guinea-worm in the state; and equally in partnership with the state government, local governance engage in projects like electricity, free mobile health, care and skill acquisition programmes. Then there is no gainsaying the obvious that local governance has indeed contributed to state building.
CONTRIBUTIONS OF DEVELOPMENT CENTRES TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT
The aim of the Government of Ebonyi State in creating Development Centres was to ensure even development of the rural areas OMOISU (2006) corroborates this position when he posits that:
The creation of Development Centres in Ebonyi State has increased grassroot development It is in bearing this it mind that the Ebonyi State House of Assembly treated with dispatch the bill on the creation of additional Developmen Centres in the state from the state government.
LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND OPERATIONAL GUIDELINES FOF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND DEVELOPMENT CENTRES IN EBONYI STATE
The Government of Ebonyi State has at three different periods embarked on the creation of Development Centres. Each of these creation is backed by necessary laws as passed by the state House of Assembly Section 7 (I) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; empowers state governments in Nigeria to ensure the existence of local government under a law which provides for the establishment, structure composition, finance and functions of such councils.
The State House of Assembly has the legal backing for the creation of new Local Government in section 8, subsection 3, (a) and (b) which state that:
A bill for a law of a House of Assembly for the purposes of creation; a new Local Government area shall only be passed if:
(a) A request supported by at least two-third majority of members of the area demanding new Local Government,
(b) A proposal for the creation of the Local Government area i thereafter approved in a referendum by at least two-third majority of the people of the Local Government area where the demand for the propose’ Local Government area originated.
(c) The result of the referendum is then approved by a simple majority o the members of each Local Government Council.
(d) The result of the referendum is approved by a resolution passed b; two -third majority members of the House of Assembly.
It is in religious application of this provision that the state House o Assembly has passed the following laws for the purposes of creating new Local Government areas in Ebonyi State that was later redesignated as Development Centres.
a. Ebonyi State Local Government Law No. 001 of 2002 that approved the
creation of twenty one (21) Development Centres.
b. Ebonyi State Local Government Law No. 003 of 2006 that gave legal backing to additional thirty (30) new Development Centres.
c. Ebonyi State Local Government Law No. 001 of 2007 that created thirteen (13) new Development Centres.
The operational guidelines for Local Governments and Development Centres have not been consistent as the two administrations, (Sam Egwu 1999 – 2007) and Martin Elechi 2007 – date) each came forth with different operational guidelines.
Under the administration of Sam Egwu in the state, the operation of the Development Centres is the same with the Local Government. Section 18 of the 2006 Local Government law that deals with the status of Local Government and Development Centres expressly states that “a Development area created under this law shall be a local administrative authority and shall have the usual powers and obligations of a local government council”.
Equally in the mode of administration, the law mandates as follows:- That a Development Centre shall as far as practicable
(a) be administered as a Local Government Council; and
(b) establish the usual organs and departments of a Local Government Council.
The implication of this guideline is the fact that the Development Centres were granted autonomy and not under the supervisory control of the Local Government from where they were carved out. Elections were held in both Local Government and Development Centres under the regime.
The government of Martin Elechi came on board in 2007 and came out with a new guideline to improve on what was available. The government started the whole process through the creation of additional thirteen Development Centres as a way of ensuring that every part of the state was under a Development Centre with the Local Government allowed to have a supervisory control of Development centres under her jurisdiction.
The new guidelines changes the structure of Development centres.
The Development centres were to have appointed management committees of fives members under the headship of a coordinators. Subsequently, the different departments in the parent Local Government Areas shall operate as units in the Development Centres and shall be under the supervision of the department in the Local Government areas.
Today the Development Centres no longer enjoy the air of autonomy that formerly existed and their administrators are appointed as the 2007 Local Government elections in Ebonyi State was conducted in thirteen Local Government Areas only.
FINANCES OF LOCAL GOVERNMENTS AND DEVELOPMENT CENTRES IN EBONYI STATE.
The major source of revenue for the Local Governments and Development Centres in Ebonyi State is the monthly allocation from the Federation Account The state is relatively young with low internally generated revenue. Most of the Local Governments and Development Centres especially have no viable means of sourcing out internally generated revenue and merely wait for money from the Federation Account before they can embark on any project.
In realization of the poor revenue base of the state and the need to ensure that Development Centres exist alongside with the Local Government, the state government established the state and local government Joint Account from where all revenues accruing to the local government from the federation account arc pooled and shared among the thirteen Local Governments and Development Centres.
During the Sam Egwu era, the practice was a development where the revenues are shared equally among the Local Governments and Development Centres in line with the equal status granted both the former and the latter.
The inherent problem with this policy was the lack of cohesion and the acrimony within the system as the thirteen local chairmen never had a cordial relationship with the Development Centre chairmen and this saw to the usual slogan of lack of fund for developmental purposes.
The government of Chief Martin Elechi however gave a clearer guideline in the area of finances of the Local Government. Despite harping on the need for aggressive efforts at internally generated revenue, the government gave directives on how revenues from the Federation Account should be shared between the Local Governments and Development Centres.
The policy directs that after the mandatory deductions from the local government areas, monthly allocation as received from the Federation Account, the balance shall be distributed between the Local Governments and Development Centres as follows:-
a. Local Government Areas – 38%
b. Development Centres – 60%
c. Stabilization fund – 1%
d. Administrative fund – 1%
It is noteworthy to assert that this policy is still at the experimental stage as the local government chairmen and coordinators of Development Centers were sworn in, to office in November 2007 with the policy taking effect in February 2008.
Development Centres and rural Development in Ebonyi State.
Governance at whatever level is not an easy task. However the main essence is to ensure better condition of living of the governed. The realities of local governance the world over arc in response to the idea of bottom – top approach to the issue of development. It is reasoned that when the rural areas arc given a meaningful measure of development, it will have a very positive impact on the state. But the realities on ground bring to question the capacity of administrators at the local level to contribute positively to state building. Dike (2004) is in agreement with this position as he maintains that:
Any person, who wants to. know why Nigeria is not
developing as rapidly as it should, should visit any of the
Local Government Areas. Life is pressed out. of almost
everything. The local government administrators are part
of the problem. Like their counterparts at the federal and
state levels, they are mired in pursuit of personal goals at
the expense of broader community interests.
This assertion to a very reasonable level, gives a good assessment
of the situation in Nigeria as the only thing one hears about the Local
Government is how a chairman embezzled huge sums of money or how the
state government suspended a particular chairman and the like.
Naturally the role of local governance in state building is clear; providing services to the rural people; promotion of political integration and national unity; promotion of local freedom/autonomy; enhancement of grass root democracy amongst others. Findings on this fundamental role reveal that:
a. Most local administrators have shown a high degree of ineptitude and to that extent cannot provide services to the people.
b. Local administrators lack the political will to promote political integration and national unity rather attempts at this according to Olowu (1988) “has exacerbated existing differences and even instigated secessionist movements.
c. Local administrators have not been able to enhance grass root democracy as even the rural people now look up to the state and federal governments for direction. These revelations are clear indication that there is a clear abuse of local governance and therefore its inability to clearly do what it is supposed to do brings to the fore its little or zero contribution to state building. From the field study conducted and the responses from both the administrators of the Development Centres and the beneficiaries, it is crystal clear that local governance can really and effectively lead to state building in Ebonyi State. It is correct to state that most of the rural areas in Ebonyi State are underdeveloped and to that extent, if the Development Centres can address the vexed issue of rural development, it will transform the entire state and this is a sine qua non for state building.
On the issue of the extent in which the Development Centres have contributed to the transformation of the rural areas to accelerate state building, our findings point to the realities that the Development Centres have contributed minimally to the transformation of the rural areas. The obvious reasons for the slow pace of development of the rural areas by the administrators of the Development Centres as elicited from our respondents include;
a. Corruption on the part of the administrators.
b. Ineptitude and obvious lack of managerial and administrative skills.
c. Illiteracy on the part of most administrators of the Development Centres.
It is reasoned that these reasons have played a major role in the slow pace of development in the rural areas. Most of the administrators of the Development Centres do not know the benefits they stand to derive from developing the rural areas rather they see their appointment as a reward for political loyalty to the government and to that extent, an opportunity for them to make their own money rather than a call to service. The few people who believe that Development Centres have really transformed the rural areas are not realistic and their answers are informed from the fact that they are either appointed government officials or party faithful who are loyal to the government of the day. This clearly shows that the Development Centers have contributed minimally to the transformation of the rural areas thereby not helping significantly in state building in Ebonyi state.
On whether there exists any fundamental difference between the Development Centres and the existing Local Government areas in Ebonyi State, findings prove to realities that there exist fundamental difference between the Local Governments and Development centres in the area of rural areas were all things that the few visible development in the rural areas were all things that were put in place before the creation of the Development Centres while abandoned projects have been the issue since the emergence of development centres. While it would be stated that the reason for this might not be unconnected with the low revenue accruing to the Development Centres taking into cognizance the fact that Ebonyi State has one of the least income in the country but yet with the highest number of Development Centres, the incidence of corruption and ineptitude on the part of the administrators of the Development centers are very fundamental.However, the truth remains that the multiple Development Centres have only increased the wage bill in the local government rather than development. Most of the Development Centres during the field study are cash trapped and as a result borrow from the bank with high interest rates to be able to pay workers’ salaries and in this kind of situation, no administrator can talk of development of the rural areas.
CONCLUSION
The importance of local governance in the overall efforts at state building cannot be over emphasized. It is usually believed that a bottom -top approach to the vexed question of development is most acceptable taking cognizance of the fact that whenever the rural areas are developed, the other part of the state or country is in vantage position. In Nigeria, successive administrations in the country have tried their hands in ensuring that the local governments meaningfully contribute to the transformation of the rural areas. During the colonial era, it was a practice where the three regions (North, East and West) put in place different patterns of local administration; the system did not significantly change even after independence in 1960.When the military struck in 1966, local government administration in the country was overhauled with the 1976 reform that brought about uniformity in local government administration throughout the country. The administration of Local Governments continued to toe the line of this reform with minor policy changes during the regime of Ibrahim Babangida (1985 – 1993) and that of Abacha (1993 – 1998) to the handover of government to a democratically elected president in 1999. This study recommends as follows:
a. That the administration of Development Centres be enthmsted in the hands of honest but experienced serving or retired civil servants to enhance development.
b. That government should come out with an effective legislation to make for closer monitoring of the Development Centres.
c. That the number of Development Centres in the state is outrageous andtherefore the need to reduce them to a manageable level taking cognizance of the low finances of the state.
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