THE CONCEPT OF DESCENTRALIZATION, DEVOLUTION AND DECONCENTRATION

Question 2: Discuss the following concept
Centralization
Decentralization
Deconcentration
Devolution

INTRODUCTION
One of the major features of local government administration is decentralization. This is one distinctive feature of local government that the central government does not have. Adamolekun states that decentralization denotes “the organization of government activity outside the headquarters of the central government either as an administrative measure involving the transfer of resources and responsibilities to agents of the central government located outside the headquarters or as a political arrangement involving the devolution of specific powers, functions and resources by the central government to sub-national level government units”. Decentralization is one major platform through which local resources, initiatives and inputs are mobilized and transformed for national development. It is through decentralization that local autonomy, management of their own affairs, transfer of power from central government to local authorities can be realized. Other features include deconcentration, delegation, devolution and privatization.

CENTRALIZATION
Centralization is the process by which the activities of an organization particular those regarding planning and decision making become concentrated within a particular location or group keeping all of the important decision making powers within the head office or the center of the organization
In political science centralization refers to the centralization of a government’s power both geographically and politically in to a centralized government. The term refers to a system of government, administration in which power is concentrated in one single central authority. In such a centralized system of government, there is no constitutional provision for the sharing of governmental powers can be delegated to subordinate bodies. And the highest degree of centralization is achieved in unitary states.

THE CONCEPT OF DECENTRALIZATION
The strategic position of the local government is more pronounced through the instrument of decentralization. This is an important aspect of local government as a unit of government because it creates the enabling environment for democratization and development. The goals of decentralization can be perceived as follows; according to Laleye, local government provide for popular participation through the implementation of the democratic principle of elective representativeness in the public decision-making process; encourage local initiative and sacrifice and mobilize the human and financial resources that are available in the locality for development; ensure adequate provision for social services necessary for a decent life; and establish a  functioning communication channel between the central authority and the local institutions with a view to ensuring the  effectiveness of the central government’s actions.
The term refer to a system of governmental administration in which powers are not concentrated in a single central authority but shared among component regional and local units or states distinct from the central government.
Powers allocated to different authorities are clearly specified in a written constitution. There are areas of authority such as foreign affairs, defence, currency, immigration etc that are reserved exclusively for the central authority and are known in the constitution as the exclusive list. Decentralization exist in a federal structure. Decentralization can also be discussed in four basic variances such as deconcentration, delegation, devolution and privatisation.

WHAT IS DECONCENTRATION  
This is the transfer of administrative functions from central government or national ministries to field agencies within the local level. It involves the redistribution of executive responsibilities to sub-administrative structure. Here, the local or sub-ordinate levels of governments serve as agents of the central government. Deconcentration is a process of breaking down tasks and transferring it to the local levels for implementation. The feature here is that, the decision-making is at the central level, while the local government presents the platform for implementation, e.g. primary health care, universal primary education etc.
Deconcentration can be regarded as a limited form of decentralisation and it lessen the burden of central government. For deconcentration to take place, provincial or local government is essential.
This involves the redistribution of authority and responsibility among different levels within the central government. It may take the form of shifting of workload from central government, ministry headquarters to staff outside of the national capital. In another form deconcentration may be by way of field administration under which decision making discretion is granted to field staff.
Another form of deconcentration is local administration under which subordinate level of government such as provincial and local governments and agents of the central government.( Anifowose & Enemuo, 2008).

DEVOLUTION
This involves the transfer of functional responsibilities including decision-making authority to legally incorporated sub-national units of government. It entails therefore, the transfer of political authority to make decisions in some spheres of public policy from the central government to local government or similar units at the local level. The central and the local governments are structurally differentiated in the structural pattern of devolution. Each level has its own powers and separate institutions for performing its own functions and activities. Devolution is associated with local autonomy and with increase scope for popular participation in governmental activities. Under the devolution category, local governments are granted powers to source for their revenue control their finances as well as recruit their own personnel. Devolution indicate status and policy making power. Devolution of power is also designed to create a political environment in which power to access political, economical and social resources is distributed between the central government and lower levels of government. State authority is divided among a wide range of actors, making politics less threatening and therefore encouraging joint problem solving. Devolution creates a fairer political ground, protects groups and individual human rights, establishes check and balances to central power and prevents political violence among rival groups.

CONCLUSION 
The peculiarity of local government is situated in its decentralisation features. An examination of these features depicts local government system as an indispensable unit in every democratic society. The instrument of decentralisation permits the local government to have and exercise its own identity as a unit of governance. This distinctive attributes make the local government to acquire its significance in the performance of its specific functions in the general administration of the country. We have examined decentralisation with its variance such as deconcentration and devolution . We have also identified the goals of decentralisation as tools for measuring local government achievements. We also enumerate other features of local government to include structural differentiation, as having multi- functional powers, defined territories and its officers whether elected or appointed as having specified tenure of office. We have been able to establish that decentralisation gives the local government its distinctive nature and it is through the process of decentralisation and other features that the local government expresses its essence and inter-relates with other units of government. These features provides the basic framework for integrating and harnessing local initiatives, interests and aspirations into national development agenda and also serves as a channel for transmitting national policies and decisions to the local levels.

REFERENCES
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Ajayi, Kunle (ed.). (2000). Theory and Practice of Local Government,  Ado-Ekiti: University of Ado-Ekiti.
Anifowose, Remi and Enemuo Francis (eds.). (1999). Elements of Politics. Lagos Malthouse Press.
Blair, G.S. (1997). Government at the Grassroots L.A. California: Palisade Publishers.
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Vishnoo Bhagwan and Vidya Bhushan (2005) Public Administration (17th ed.). New Delhi, India: S. Chand and Company.