ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL COMMUNITIES

ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL COMMUNITIES

ABSTRACT

The poor state of some rural community is becoming an unpleasant sight in this present age where development has suddenly become the order of the day even in the government of the nation. Several scholars therefore have ascribed this unpleasantness to Local Governments. Thus, this research examined the role of local government council in the development of rural communities. Literature in this respect on rural development efforts by Local Government Council was reviewed. Similarly, development theory of growth by W.W Rostov served as frame of reference. For the purpose of this research 185 questionnaires were administered to the respondents within the community using simple random sampling with the aid of two research assistants. The results were analyzed using statistical package for the social sciences. The hypothesis tested on whether there significance relationship between the roles of the local government on community development in Warra, Ngaski local government shows that there is a significance relationship between the roles of the local government and community development. Similarly, the findings of the research work revealed that Ngaski local government council played a vital role in community development in areas of road constructions, agricultural empowerment and health care service delivery to the people. Furthermore, the challenges faced by community people in areas of community development efforts were insufficient fertilizer to the farmers and also lack of maintenance culture of the community development projects. Based on the findings of the research, the following were recommended: that the community dwellers should be less money conscious and should focus on maintenance of the projects placed on ground, ensurance of the collaboration of the community dwellers and local government council among other recommendations.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1  Background to the Study

The reason for the creation of local government anywhere in the world stems from the needs to facilitate development at the grassroots. The importance of local government is a function of the ability to generate sense of belonging, safety and satisfaction among its populace. All forms of government, regimes or political system have so far ensured the attainment of this goal. Such strategies for ensuring national administrative development and political efficiency as found in the concept and practice of local government has been essentially regarded as the path to, and guarantor of national integration, administration and development in Nigeria’s socio-political context. With multiplicity of culture, diversity of languages and differentiated needs and means, the importance of such organization in fostering the needed national consciousness, unit and relative uniformity as well as well as preservation of peculiar diversities cannot be over emphasized. Local government is the tier of government closets to the people which is vested with some powers to exercise control over the affairs of the people in its domain (Lawal, 2000:60). Local government is expected to play the role of promoting the democratic ideal of society and coordinating development programs at the local level. It is also expected to serve as a basis of socio-economic development in the locality.