Decentralization In Niger: Issues And Responses For Reform

To understand the challenges of decentralization in a local political arena transformed into a rural commune and the responses are such fundamental objectives we have set to our sociological research. It should be noted that before the experimentation of the integral communalization started since 2004, the policy of decentralization in Niger following a long process that is probably not yet at this end. In general, Niger, which inherited the former colonial administrative system highly centralized, allowing little power for the citizen and his participation in the management of public affairs. Since its independence, three (3) fundamental reforms of its territorial administration including:reform of 1961 which was really just a stage, the reform of 1964 and that of the post National Conference.In addition, it must also understand that the Niger country was first at the beginning of her tenure a military territory, then a territory civil later became a colony organized in circles and subdivisions administered by Governor-General of the colonies based in Dakar and became later governor of Niger. Besides this organization, the traditional chief reorganized, coexisted and integrated into the system. Just after independence proclaimed in 1960 on the 3 August, a constitution, already suggested the creation of local authorities in its Article 68 was adopted in November 8,1960. Thus, under the law 61-50 of 31 December 1961, the old circles, about sixteen (16), four (4) unit, and the subdivisions from the colonial administration were erected in districts with status of local government, headed by district councils as organs.Then, there was the reform of 1964 devote in law 64-023 of 17 July 1964 that organized the country into administrative units (departments, districts and communes) and erected the districts and municipalities in territorial units with personality moral and financial autonomy. After the military coup of 1974, the decentralization process was put on hold (with the dissolution of the borough councils and municipal governments and their replacement by interim advisory committees) until 1983 with the order of 83-26 in August 4,1983 which established the institutions of the Development Corporation through the Development Councils at all levels, as legislative bodies, to fill the institutional vacuum created by the dissolution of the former borough councils and municipal governments. This order defined the development councils as "collegiate group of design, animation, decision making, management of development operations, and generally, any action within the community domain, since village level, district or tribe, to the nationallevel."In this case, it is the constitution of 1989, which reintroduced decentralization in Niger, experience that the National Conference had put to an end. The revival of the current decentralization process took place from 1995 with the establishment of a special committee of directors and a mission to reflect on a new reform of territorial administration, which was registered around a number of objectives including the deepening of the democratic process, empowering people in managing their affairs and the promotion of good governance and local services.These considerations led to the proposal of a first redistricting scheme, which itself has evolved between the 3rd and 4th Republic, to finally arrive in 2000, the current pattern which establishes a communalization of the entire national territory of Niger on the basis of customary space entities and regionalization around the top departmental entities of the time built into regions, and also a departmentalization at the intermediate level by the erection of the old districts into departments. On July 24, 2004, municipal elections have been elected local councilors, and establishing municipal councils in 265 municipalities headed by mayors appointed by the elected councilors in their midst. Later, the Draft Ordinance supplementing Ordinance No. 2009-03 August 18,2009 amending Law No.2003-35 of 27 August 2003 on the composition and delineation of Communes comes up that number to 266 communes by the creation of the rural commune Makalondi in the department of Say, relevant to the region of Tillaberi.Municipal councilors have managed the Communes until April 15,2010, when the legislative organs of communes were dissolved and replaced by an order delegated administration because of the coup in the country. Thus, after a military transition, municipal councilors were elected for another term since the municipal elections of 11 January 2011. The approach combines a socio anthropological analyse using a field survey and the contribution of non-literary and literary sources. The results we have achieved show that decentralization in Niger, particularly in the rural commune of Allakaye is set in a logic cycle search of a typical development plan. The rural commune of Allakaye is a political, social and economic reality since the elections of 24 July 2004. The challenges and the responses are many, known by the citizens but no funds to solve the problem of municipal development.For example, the commune doesn't have a municipal development plan in operation after one term because for lack of funds. The PDC, a document which, according to the potentials and constraints of the environment, development objectives identified by the municipal Council and civil society, establishes a short-or medium-term investment adapted to local realities:it is an operational planning document.The commune work with the program agreed by the municipal council pending the funding of this precious document. All the objectives are turned to the central government of Niger, which initiated the project, and a hypothetical development partner. According to this, we agree of the theory of decentralization for a local development, but it is not a panacea.