THE ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT OF ISIALA NGWA SOUTH LGA, ABIA STATE.

THE ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT OF ISIALA NGWA SOUTH LGA, ABIA STATE

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the Study

          The local government, called the third tier of government is one of the agencies through which rural transformation can be achieved.  The local government received constitutional acceptance, to enable the central government exercise optimum development initiatives for overall transformation of rural area. In Nigeria, for instance, 774 Local Government areas have been created to serve this unique function. Among the effective role of the local government is the provision of sustainable development initiates between the communities and the central government though the mobilization of human and material resources at the grass root for development.

The idea of local government is as old as humanity and any known human civilization. In Nigeria for example, before the advent of colonialism there existed a form of local administration (Ntekim, 2006, Okon, 2006). During this period, traditional rulers played a very significant role by ensuring that policies formulated were left in the hands of the community’s chiefs who were then very loyal to the traditional rulers. Local government is the breaking down of a country into small units or localities for the purpose of administration in which the inhabitants of the different units or localities concerned play a direct and full part through their elected representatives, who exercise powers or undertakes functions under the general authority of the National Government. From the foregoing, local government has limited responsibility and sphere of influence as compared to State and Federal Government. (FRN, 2010)

The roles of local government in rural development in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area, Abia State cannot be underestimated. Rural development in Nigeria and indeed in Abia State dates back to the origin of man. Man in a bid to live above nature; saw the need to develop his environment (Orgi and Amahiri 2016). He started by taking care of the fundamental needs such as food, clothing, shelter and so on as time went on, when civilization started crippling in, men lives together decided to improve on roads, clear pathways, markets and village squares. Even the government’s intervention in providing the needed good and services does not prevent man from contributing his quota in development. This ten continued until this modern Nigeria. This means that the idea of rural development may have started long before the introduction of local government system or the coming of the Europeans to Nigeria (Nnamani, 2010).

As noted by Ezeani (2006) long before the introduction of the science of development planning and studies, many rural communities in Nigeria had learned to provide themselves with functional and physical facilities by co-operation or communal efforts. Also observed that for them to live in big homes with large rooms and windows to admit fresh air they have to seek the aid of other people or their neighbours. From the above, there is evidence that our fore fathers have learned to come together to build roads instead of footpaths village squares, markets and schools through communal efforts. The government in order to reactivate the spirit of self-help mechanism in people introduced the local government law of 1955. The law empowered local government to take full responsibilities for rural development within their area of authorities and equally promised to give matching grants and technical assistance to rural communities who embarked on self-help projects (Yakubu, 2009, Okon and Bamgboye 2011).           Nigeria is a country with a federal system of government where there is constitutional division of powers among the levels of government that is the central, state and local government. Local government is the third tier of government in the country which to often referred to as the government at the grassroots level (Adedire, 2014). Development would not be meaningful if rural dwellers; are not impacted positively it is as a result of this that local government was created to ensure effective and efficient service delivery to the people at the grassroots level. The creation of the local government in many countries in Africa and elsewhere stems from the need to facilitate development at the grassroots in order to generate sense of belonging, safety and satisfaction among the people. In Nigeria socio-political context, with multiplicity of culture, diversity of languages and differentiated needs and means the importance of local government in ensuring unity and preserving peculiar diversities cannot be underestimated.

THE ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT OF ISIALA NGWA SOUTH LGA, ABIA STATE