Less than 3% Voter Turnout? Omo, Local Government Don Suffer
– Akindeji Aromaye
The other day, I was talking to someone who was frustrated about a healthcare centre in their area – no staff, no drugs, no structure. I casually said, “That’s local government work na.” They looked at me like I was speaking Greek.
It reminded me again just how invisible local governments have become even though it’s the closest to the people. Then I saw this flyer again and the numbers slapped me afresh.
In the 2021 local government elections in Lagos, less than 3% of registered voters showed up in places like Alimosho, Ikorodu, Kosofe, and Amuwo Odofin. Even the best-performing LGAs, like Ibeju-Lekki and Mushin, didn’t cross 15% turnout.
Let that sink in: in some areas, 97% of people stayed home, and a tiny handful chose who would control everything from your primary schools to your drainage systems. But we still complain about bad roads, dirty markets, primary healthcare, and broken streetlights – all things that fall squarely under the LGA.
We’ve built an unhealthy hierarchy of elections: the presidential and gubernatorial races gets our energy and LGA elections are treated like a footnote. When local government works, you feel it but when it doesn’t, you suffer the consequences and more often than not, we suffer in silence, forgetting that we actually have a say in how these systems are run.
And that’s the issue. Most of us don’t even know when LGA elections happen, who the candidates are, or what chairmen and councillors are supposed to do. Power thrives in that kind of silence.
With the 2025 LGA elections in Lagos around the corner, there’s an opportunity to flip the script. But this is bigger than Lagos. This is a call to action for every Nigerian. Do you know when your LGA election is scheduled? Do you know the name of your Local Government Chairman? Can you point to what they’ve achieved with their budget allocation? If not, now’s the time to start asking questions.
If you have verified information about your LGA Chairman or how funds are being spent, share it with us. Your contributions help ensure that every Nigerian knows who to call when things aren’t adding up. Send an email to syeinfo@shineyoureye.org.
Content provided by EiE Nigeria
Akindeji Aromaye is a Senior Media Associate at EiE Nigeria, passionate about citizen engagement, governance, and local government accountability.