THE IMPACT OF 2024 LOCAL GOVERNMENT AUTONOMY ON LOCAL GOVERNMENT STAFF WELFARE: A STUDY OF DAMATURU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF YOBE STATE

Local government autonomy in Nigeria has long been envisioned as a vehicle for enhancing grassroots governance and ensuring responsive service delivery to citizens. Within this conceptual framework, autonomy is expected to empower councils to manage finances, administer staff welfare effectively, and deliver on their constitutional obligations. However, in practice, Nigeria’s local governments, including those in under-studied regions such as Yobe State, continue to grapple with structural bottlenecks. The research objectives are to assess the effect of the 2024 Local Government Autonomy on the promptness and consistency of remuneration and pension disbursement for staff of Damaturu Local Government Council and to evaluate the changes in the provision of non-financial welfare packages, including capacity-building programs, health insurance coverage, and the state of office infrastructure, following the implementation of the autonomy policy. The research adopted quantitative survey method where questionnaire instrument was used to collect data and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Findings from the analysis revealed that the implementation of the autonomy policy has moderately improved the prompt payment of salaries and pensions. The research also revealed that the majority of respondents confirmed that there is greater efficiency and reduced delays in remuneration disbursement compared to the period before autonomy.