AN APPRAISAL OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCILS EFFORTS TOWARDS RURAL DEVELOPMENT

ABSTRACT

This research work was undertaken with a view to ascertaining the rural development in Enugu state of Nigeria with a focus on Udi local government Area- as a case study.  The work looked critically (in question) towards rural development within its area of jurisdiction.  In doing this, the researcher based his study on the provision of the 10976 local government reform in Nigeria which made rural development one of the explicit functions of the local government councils. In carrying out the research, primary and secondary data were used.  Related literature were reviewed (secondary data chapter 2) and questionnaire were equally prepared and administered to local government functionaries (primary data chapter 4). The technique use in analyzing the primary data is the chi-square (x2). The finding of the research was reached using the result of the tested hypothesis.  For the analysis, it was found that many factors act as stumbling blocks on the way of rural development in Udi local. Government area and the state general. Such factors include:

a.     Lack of adequate organization frame work and orientation

b.     Lack of dedication and commitment on the part of the local government councils to the cause of rural development.

c.      Misplacement of organization priorities and consequently, misdirection of funds

d.     Lack of executive capacity arising from lack of adequate trained, motivated and dedicated staff for effective and efficient implementation of council decision.

e.     the unhealthy political atmosphere existing in the local government councils.

f.      And finally, the unreliable external funding and inability to generate revenue for development purposes. 

From the above findings, the researcher concluded by making a sense of recommendations among which are the co-ordination of the development efforts of the various formal and informal organizations in the overall rural development programmes, and procurement of adequately trained personnel for the organizational and educational processes associated with rural development.

TABLE OF CONTENT

Title page                  

Table of Contents       

Abstract                                            

CHAPTER ONE

1.1        Background of the Study

1.2        Statement Of Problems       

1.3        Objective Of The Study       

1.4        Significance Of The Stud

1.5        Scope of the Study             

1.6        Limitation of the Study                

CHAPTER TWO

2.1        Literature Review       

2.2        Historical background of rural development

As obtain in Nigeria             

2.1        Role of Local Government Councils in

Rural Development     

Reference

CHAPTER THREE

3.0    Research Design & Methodology   

3.1    Research Design 

3.2    Area of Study            

3.3        Population of the Study       

3.4        Sample and Sampling Technique

3.5        Instrument For Data Collection

3.6        Validity of the Instrument

3.7        Reliability of the Instrument

3.8        Method Of Data Collection

3.9        Method Of Data Analysis                                       39

CHAPTER FOUR

4.0    Presentation and Analysis of Data

4.1        Data Analysis             

Reference

CHAPTER FIVE

5.0        Summary of findings, conclusion and Recommendation

 5.1   Findings    

5.2        Conclusions

5.3        Recommendations      

Bibliography

Appendix a: Research Questionnaire

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background to the Study

Local government has and will continue to be one the prime factor of development in different parts of the world and their importance and impact on daily activities of citizens cannot be over emphasized.

The term local government refers to a political authority set up by a nation or state as subordinate authority for the purpose of dispensing or decentralizing political power. In the English sense, it means local self government.

Local government is a political sub-division of a national government, or in federal system, a sub-division of regional government in fact, local government administration is so intentioned with rural development that any discussion on one out of necessity involved the others. This is because to bring development to the rural at the grass root.

Rural development is not a new ideology. It is defined as  a process by which the efforts of the people themselves are linked with those of governmental authorities to improved the economic social and cultural conditions of rural, to integrate them into life of the action, and to enable them to contribute fully to the national progress.  Also the role of local government in the promotion of development at the 1976 local government reforms which emphasized that none of the principle objectives of local government is to mobilize human and materials resources through the involvement of members of the public in the promotion of local government.

Many rural has build school, constructed roads and bridges, and organized higher education scholarship schemes for their children etc rural development as we recognized today is based on and has grown out of experience of the past.    The concept of rural development is based on the faith. In the ability of people to learn how to help themselves attain an improved standard of living building better rural taking one step at a time.

Rural development has thus remained up the priority item of the programmes of the administration. In drawing up the blue print for rural development government at Enugu State aims primary at sensitizing and mobilizing the people at the grass roots level and deliberately and actively involving them in effective rural development, encouraging integrated and multi dimension approach to rural development for the government to achieve the grass roots development, it must get closer to the people.

Rural development groups and local government should work very closely, government should work very closely, because for instance, a service project such as maternity dispensary or school which is built without the full support of the relevant local government, has very lean changes of survival, since the running and main tenancy expenses of such service are usually too heavy to be borne invalided such rural.