The body responsible for exercising the functions of local governments in the 1976 reforms was the________

Analyze the question: It asks which body exercised the functions of local government under the 1976 Local Government Reforms in Nigeria.

Concept: The 1976 Local Government Reform (under General Olusegun Obasanjo's regime) did the following:

• Made local government a third tier of government with a uniform structure nationwide.
• Recognised local government as government by representative councils, which were established by law.
• Provided for single-tier, multi-purpose authorities.
• Gave local governments defined functions (e.g. primary education, health, markets, roads, and sanitation) and guaranteed them statutory revenue allocations from the Federation Account and State Joint Account.
• Stated that the local government council was the body exercising the functions of local government. The council consisted of a chairman and elected and nominated members, and the chairman served as chief executive.

Step-by-step reasoning:

• A. Local government commission: This is a state-level body dealing with service matters like staff and appointments. It is not the body that exercises the functions of local government.
• B. Local government council: This is the right answer. The reforms vested the exercise of local government functions in the council, the statutory representative body.
• C. Local government committee: Committees are subsidiary working units of the council. They do not hold the primary authority.
• D. Committee of chairmen and supervisory councillors: This body relates to the later 1980s and 1990s structure (the supervisory councillors came later). It does not fit the 1976 reforms.

Answer: The local government council, which is option B.

Exam tip: Link each reform to its key feature:

• 1976: Local government council, a uniform third-tier structure
• 1988 (Babangida): Separation of the executive from the legislative arm, with supervisory councillors
• 1999 Constitution: Local governments guaranteed as the third tier (Section 7)

If the question says "exercising the functions" in 1976, think "council."