EFFECT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA. (A CASE STUDY OF NKANU – EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT ENUGU STATE)

Abstract

This study was on effect of local government administration on rural development in Nigeria in Nkanu East local government in Enugu State. Three objectives were raised which included: To ascertain whether Nkanu East local government has contributed substantially to rural development, to find out if inadequacy of skilled workers (like qualified engineers all types, medical doctors, etc) affect the ability of Nkanu East local government council in carrying out rural development programme and to verify whether inadequate financing by both state and federal governments hinders the council in carrying out developmental programmes. The total population for the study is 75 indigenes of Nkanu East local government of Enugu state. The researcher used questionnaires as the instrument for the data collection. Descriptive Survey research design was adopted for this study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies. The study recommendation that development in rural areas should be viewed as a totality of activities ranging from rural mobilization to political education, Local government officials should be compulsorily made to undergo series of training and re-training in order to enhance their productivity

Chapter one

Introduction

1.1Background of the study

The idea of local government administration in Nigeria has attracted serious attention both nationally and internationally since the local government reform of 1976. Agagu, 1997, viewed local government as a level of government which is supposed to have its greatest impact on the people at the rural areas. It is a tier of government which is closest to the citizenry and it is saddled with responsibility of guaranteeing the political, social and economic development of its area and its people (Enero, Oladoyin and Elumilade, 2004).

As a result of this development, there has been growing recognition of the importance of rural development as an instrument in the overall development of the contemporary developing world. This is because of the glaring gap between the rural and urban areas in terms of infrastructural, resources distribution, human resources development and employment, which has made rural development imperative (Ogbazi, 1982 in Zakari ya‟u, 2014). This imbalance has subjected the rural areas to more disadvantaged economic position. It has induced rural–urban migration, thereby, increasing unemployment situation in the urban areas, while, simultaneously depriving the rural areas of their agricultural workforce (Zakari ya‟u, 2014).

The expediency for the creation of local government anywhere in the world stems from the need to facilitate development at the grassroots. The importance of local government is a function of its ability to generate sense of belongingness, safety and satisfaction among its populace. All forms of government, regimes or political systems have so far ensured the attainment of this goal. Such strategy for ensuring national administrative development and political efficacy is found in the concept and practice of local government. Whatever is the mode of government, local government has been essentially regarded as the path to, and guarantor of, national integration, administration and development (Nwobu, N. G. (2008)

Local government is a level of government with assigned legislative and executive powers to execute and make policies covering a particular area made up of communities (localities) of the local government. The constitution provides for its establishment, defines its structure, functions, powers and sources of revenue for its activities. Furthermore, its relationship with the state and federal governments is clearly stated in the constitution (Philip, 2009). However, the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria introduced some ambiguous clauses in the relationship between the local and state governments and prominent among them is the state-local government joint account (SLGJA) arrangement which has seriously eroded the financial autonomy of the local government system in Nigeria. The SLGJA has been so much misinterpreted by the state government that the local government council whether elected or by appointment is heavily under the overbearing influence of the state government always (Ananti, 2016).

Local government was designed to assume the position of a third tier of government, a government nearest to the people, which is empowered to accelerate the pace of grassroots development. According to Ezeani (2006), other specific reasons for the creation of local government include but not limited to: making appropriate services and development activities responsive to local wishes and initiatives by devolving or delegating them to local representative bodies, others are sensitizing and mobilizing the various communities in their areas of authority in order to get involved in the overall development of those areas. It is highly doubtful if local governments in Nigeria have been able to effectively meet these laudable goals and others since their creation.

Local government administration is a well-conceived government as a political body statutorily created by law to govern the local communities basically through an organized and systematic process to achieve the objectives of grassroots development (Akani, 2017). He notes further that the closeness of the government to the local populace could have enabled it to effectively perform the specified functions which bordered more on service delivery according to the interests and aspirations of the local communities. Unfortunately, this was not to be as the system has witnessed all manner of abuse which manifests in lack of financial autonomy and other undue interferences. In the opinion of Akani (2017), local government councils are today under the firm grip of the state government, manipulating them at the caprices of the governor through the compromised State House of Assembly. Under such circumstances, it becomes very obvious that there isn’t much the local administration can offer in terms of local communities/grassroots development since the state governors who have assumed “ownership” of the councils would not allow them access to their funds. In the light of the above, this study examines the extent local governments have been able to provide social services (health, education, etc) and basic infrastructural facilities (rural/farm roads, food markets, parks, rural electrification, portable water, etc) to the local communities.

Statement of the problem

The need to catalyze balanced development, maximize citizens’ participation, and arouse government response necessitates the creation of the local government. The local government serves as a form of political and administrative structure facilitating decentralization, national integration, efficiency in governance, and a sense of belonging at the grassroots. The local government is a unit of administration all over the world (Agagu, 2004).

Local government has been the root of development in terms of dealings with the people which democracy is centred upon. Hence, local government is visibly seen as co-agent of rural development and as partners in progress with both states and federal governments in rural developments.

To this end, this study sets out to investigate the effect of local government on rural/grass root development with emphasis on Nkanu East Local Government of Enugu State. Knowing the roles, the government needs to play in development of any society and the obvious inability of the national and state governments in the task of rural areas, Local government has been created essentially to compliment the efforts of the states and national government in the task of rural development. Nevertheless, abject poverty and underdevelopment remains a common feature in these rural communities

Thus, in pursuance of the central problem in this research a number of questions have been raised (posed) for this research purpose. They are:

1. Has Nkanu East local government Area contributed substantially to rural development?
2. Does Inadequacy of Skilled Workers (like qualified engineers of all types, medical doctors etc) affect the ability Nkanu East local government council in carrying out rural development programme?

• Does inadequate financing of the local government by the state and federal government affect the ability of Nkanu East local government council to contribute to rural development?

Objective of the study

The objectives of the study are;

1. To ascertain whether Nkanu East local government has contributed substantially to rural development.
2. To find out if inadequacy of skilled workers (like qualified engineers all types, medical doctors, etc) affect the ability of Nkanu East local government council in carrying out rural development programme.
3. To verify whether inadequate financing by both state and federal governments hinders the council in carrying out developmental programmes.

Research question

The following research question were formulated;

1. Has Nkanu East local government Area contributed substantially to rural development?
2. Does Inadequacy of Skilled Workers (like qualified engineers of all types, medical doctors etc) affect the ability Nkanu East local government council in carrying out rural development programme?
3. Does inadequate financing of the local government by the state and federal government affect the ability of Nkanu East local government council to contribute to rural development?

Research hypotheses

The following research hypotheses were formulated;

H1: Nkanu East local council has not contributed substantially to rural development in the local government area.

H2: The inadequacy of skilled workers (like qualified engineers all types, medical doctors, etc) affects the ability of Nkanu East local government council in carrying out rural development programmes

H3: Inadequate funding by both the Enugu State and the Federal Governments hinders Nkanu East Local Government council’s ability to carrying out developmental programmes.

Significance of the study

This study has both theoretical and practical significance. Theoretically, the study provides a theoretical framework for the understanding of the role of local government in rural development in Nigeria. Therefore, considering the pivotal role of local government in development in general, such information will be of immense help for policy formulation on the development of grassroots. The result of the study will equally be of help to other researchers who may want to research on such topic or related topics on development in the academia in the future. On the practical significance, the study will draw attention of, and enlighten both the stakeholders and those who implement policies on rural development in Nigeria who may not really understand the central role of rural development on the crucial and inescapable role of local government system. As a result, the rural dwellers will endeavour to participate fully in grassroots democratization and development, while those who implement policy on development in Nigeria will become dedicated to policy formulation, recommendations and implementation.

Scope of the study

The scope of the study covers effect of local government administration on rural development in Nigeria. The study will be limited to Nkanu East local government of Enugu state. The research is designed to cover the activities of Nkanu East Local Government Area in the area of rural development: the research work will be based on evaluating the problems (if any) encountered by this local government area in their attempt to meet their needs in the self-help projects and to suggest possible ways through which such problems could be solved.

Limitation of the study

The work encountered some obstacles which served as its limitations. It was not easy getting all the materials needed for the study. Vital documents like journals, literature and other relevant materials were not easy to come by. Accessing the Internet for vital and relevant data was also not easy due to network fluctuation in the country.

Some of the target respondents exhibited poor attitude towards the work. It was difficult getting back some of the distributed questionnaires. Majority of them refused to avail themselves for interview for the fear that information gotten from them may put their job in jeopardy. To overcome this problem, the researcher had to explain to them critically the main purpose of the research as well as assuring them of their anonymity. Finance equally served as constraint to the success of the work. Carrying out the study involved a lot of money. Much was spent travelling from one community to the other in search of vital information and on printing, typesetting and binding of the research into a booklet.

The research was conducted alongside with other time demanding academic work. It was done in conjunction with classroom assignment, term papers, lectures, and examination. As a result, the researcher would not have devoted the required maximum time to the work to achieve best result if not for proper rationing of time among the time competing schedules.

 Definition of terms

Grassroots/Rural development: The term grassroots development as used in this study refers to the act or process of developing and empowering the well-being of the vast majority of the rural dwellers through the provision of basic social and economic infrastructures. Hence, it is a development from below. According to Todaro (1985) grassroots development is an advancement that makes life more meaningful in all its entirety. Whether political, economic, socio-cultural and infrastructural.

Rural Dwellers

Rural dwellers are the people living in the remote areas of a country and lack basic infrastructure like good road network, pipe borne water, electricity, good health facility etc. The term refers to the ordinary people who are far from political decision making process at the centre. These groups includes small scale farmers, tenants, etc who seek livelihood in the rural areas.

 Democracy/local government

The term democracy “literally signifies” the rule of the people: the term democracy as it is used in the study synchronizes with Abraham Lincoln’s definition of democracy. Gauba (1981:421) quoting Lincoln and it reads: Democracy is the government of the people by the people and for the people. It implies that ultimate authority of government is vested in the common people so that the public policy is made to conform to the will of the people and to serve the interests of the people. From the foregoing, one can rightly say that democracy is all about “peoples” participation in government–and local government. Therefore, Democracy and local government are inseparable and are synonymous

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