One of the main features of the February 1976 Local Government Reform in Nigeria was the

Analyze the question: The question asks about a main feature of the 1976 Local Government Reform in Nigeria, which was introduced under the Murtala/Obasanjo military government.

Explain the concept: Before 1976, local government in Nigeria was not uniform. The regions (West, East, North) each ran their own systems, with different structures, names, and powers. The 1976 reform aimed to fix this by:

• Establishing a uniform system of local government nationwide
• Making local government the third tier of government
• Giving local governments defined functions, a statutory share of federal revenue (the Statutory Allocation), and a population guideline of roughly 150,000 to 800,000 people per local government
• Making local governments directly responsible for grassroots development

Go through the options:

• A. Election of a chairman: Not the main feature of 1976. The councils were run by a chairman who was appointed, and the councils themselves mostly consisted of elected and nominated members. Elections of chairmen became more characteristic of later reforms, such as 1989 to 1991.
• B. Three arms of government: The separation into executive, legislative, and judicial arms at the local level was a feature of the 1988/1989 reforms, not 1976.
• C. Speaker of the house: Also a feature of the later reforms, along with the legislative council.
• D. Appointment of supervisory councilors: This came later, in the 1990s, when supervisory councilors were introduced to head departments.
• E. Uniform system of administration: This was a key feature of the 1976 reform, because it replaced the differing regional systems with one national structure.

Answer: The correct option is E. Uniform system of administration.

Tip: Remember "1976 = Uniform, third tier." For later reforms, link 1988 and 1989 with the three arms, speaker, and supervisory councilors. If an option sounds like a presidential-style structure (arms, speaker), it belongs to a later reform, not 1976.