THE NEED TO IMPROVE REVENUE COLLECTION IN LOCAL GOVERNMENT (A STUDY OF ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT:2011-2018)

ABSTRACT Today's Local Government Administration in Nigeria is faced with varieties of problems. There are the problems of sourcing for adequate revenue from the federal and state governments. And there are also the problems associated with sourcing for funds via internally generated revenue. These myriad problems are cogwheels to smooth running of local government administration in Nigeria.There are the problems of dishonesty on the part of revenue officers who often times, divert council's money for personal use; there is also the encroachment of other levels of government by diverting local government funds. There is therefore, an urgent need to review local government revenue generation.The objectives of the present study is to critically examine the impact of internally generated revenue on local government administration in Enúgu North LGA of Enugu State, and to establish a nexus between internally generated revenue, and level of development. To analyze the machinery internally generated revenue,as.well as to review the various sources of internally generated revenue. Data were collected from Enugu North LGA of Enugu State for this study. The analysis is through descriptive and inferential statistical tools. The descriptive analysis involved the use of simple percentages, tabulation and counts, while inferential statistical method employed, chi-square analytical instrument. It is concluded and recommended that keeping of appropriate accounting records and books, supply of social and economic service, establishmnent of people oriented projects, staff motivation; training and retraining of revenue officers can set the local government system in the right direction to improving internally generated revenue.