Beyond Legal Autonomy: A Public Value Framework for Evaluating Local Government Reform in Nigeria

Legalistic and structural debates like constitutional provisions, revenue allocation, and judicial interventions continue to dominate the discourse on Nigeria's local government autonomy. The July 2024 Supreme Court judgement granting financial autonomy to local government councils exemplifies this approach. Yet a fundamental question persists: autonomy for what purpose? This paper challenges the prevailing framework by arguing that autonomy must be evaluated through a citizen-centric, outcome-focused lens grounded in Mark Moore's public value theory. This paper employs critical analysis of Nigeria's local government autonomy literature and policy documents, juxtaposed against public value theory's interdependent triangular framework. We examine the theoretical and practical implications of reframing autonomy debates from structural-legal concerns to public value creation outcomes. Drawing on Moore's three core dimensions, authoritative environments, public value creation, and operational capacity, we develop an analytical framework for evaluating whether local government autonomy translates to improved citizen welfare. Our analysis reveals three critical blind spots in current autonomy discourse. First, it assumes autonomy automatically equals better governance, ignoring evidence that decentralisation without capacity can worsen service delivery. Second, it treats citizens as passive beneficiaries rather than active definers of public value. Third, it overlooks whether local governments possess the organisational capabilities to effectively leverage autonomy. The paper demonstrates how public value theory addresses these gaps by asking: Do autonomous LGAs deliver services citizens want? Do they operate with democratic legitimacy? Can they execute given capacity constraints? Achieving legal autonomy is necessary but insufficient for public value creation. This conceptual reorientation suggests that sustainable reform requires simultaneous investment in capacity building, democratic strengthening, and citizen engagement mechanisms. This paper provides a robust analytical framework for evaluating local government autonomy and proposes a citizen-centred research agenda for Nigerian public administration scholarships.