AN APPRAISAL OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCILS EFFORTS TOWARDS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This research work was undertaken with a view to ascertaining the community development in Enugu state of Nigeria with a focus on Enugu North local government Area- as a case study.  The work looked critically (in question) towards community 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 community development one of the explicit functions of the local government councils. The total population for the study is 200 staff of Enugu North 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. A total of 133 respondents made up heads of department, counselors, senior staff and junior staff was used for the study. The data collected were presented in tables and analyzed using simple percentages and frequencies

 

 

 

 CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

• Background of the study

Local governments have and will continue to be one of the prime mores of development in different parts of the world and their importance and impact on daily activities of citizens cannot be over emphasized. The terms local government refers to a political authority set up by a nation or state as a subordinate authority for the purposes of dispensing or decentralizing polity’s 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 community development that any discussion on one out of necessity involves the other.  This is because local government in essence, was created solely to bring development to the communities at the grass root.

Community 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 improve the economic, social and cultural conditions of communities, 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 local level is clearly recognized as one of the underlying basis of the 1976 local government reforms which emphasized that none of the principal objectives of local government is to mobilize human and material resources through the involvement of members of the public in the promotion of local government Many communities had built school, constructed roads and bridges, and organized higher education, scholarship schemes for their children etc.  Community development as we recognize today is based on and has grown out of experience of the past. What is new is that these principles are now becoming more widely recognize than ever before.  The principles of community development are not new, but it is the emphasis which makes almost a revolutionary. The concept of community development is based on the faith.  In the ability of people to learn how to help them attain an improved standard of living building better communities taking one step at a time. Rural development has thus remained on the priority item o the programmes of the administration. In drawing up the blue print for rural development, government of Enugu state aims primary at sensitizing and mobilizing the people at the grass roots level and deliberately and actively involving them in effective community development, encouraging, integrated and multi-dimension approach to community development for the government to achieve the grass roots development, it must get closer to the people.  Community development groups and local 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 chances of survival, since the running and main tenancy expenses of such services are usually too heavy to be borne unaided b such community.

LOCAL GOVT. SERVICE COMMISSION

 

CHAIRMAN CHIEF EXECUTIVE

 

ORGANIZATION OF ENUGU NORTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT

 

SECRETARY/DIRECROR OF PERSONNEL

 

INTERNAL AUDITOR

 

SUP.FOR AGRIC

 

SUP. FOR HEALTH

 

H.O.D AGRIC

 

H.O.D HEALTH

 

SU.WORKS & TRANSDPORT

 

SUP.FOR EDUCATION COMMUNITY

 

H.O.D EDUCATION COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

 

H.O.D WORKS

 

PERSONNEL

Enugu Urban council was created in 1976. Then in 991 Enugu North and south local government was carried out of the main/former Enugu local government area. The council is consist of six (6) major departments personnel; health; works; financial; agriculture; and education and development. The council is made up of two sets of staff. The executive and the carrier officers.  At the apex of the organization, the chairman is the chief executive and the controller of both men and materials including finances. Below him is the vice chairman who assists and co-ordinate the activities delegated to him from time to time.  Below their levels are the four line supervisors charged of agric, health, education, community development and works respectively. Both the chairman and the supervisors are the policy maker as far as the council is concerned. On the other hand, the local government service commission is the employer of all carrier officers civil servants) under this local government system. At the apex of the carrier officers is the secretary director of personnel who is in charge of the day to day administration. Below him is a deputy secretary who co-ordinate the activities of both senior and the junior staff including other functions in his schedule.  The internal auditor occupies a central position midway between the carrier officers and the executive chairman.

He is the alarm clock of the council especially when the envisages that anything goes wrong with the expenditure of government fund.  He may raise an audit alarm.  Below this levels are the line carrier staff known as heads of department.  Each occupying specific department such as agric, 1-6 above. Each H.O.D maintains discipline within his area, check the attendant and roll call and distribute functions amongst the rank and file senior and junior staff under him.

STATUTORY / COMMTTEE:

In local government there are some operative statutory committee charged with specific functions:

1. The junior staff management committee with a chairman and secretary. This organ is charged with discipline, promotion, transfer and conversion of junior staff under grade level 01-06
2. F and a: This is an organ responsible for monetary approval and expenditure above to N500, 000.00 to N1m.

The executive chairman acts as the chairman while the local government secretary acts as his secretary.

Community development is a department solely charged with co-ordination development activities in various communities between the councils area of jurisdiction. However, the department cannot carry out or execute its functions departments or units within the council for example, community development as a department

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The role of local government in the promotion of development at the local level is clearly recognized as one of the underlying basis of the 1976 local government reforms which emphasized that none of the principal objectives of local government is to mobilize human and material resources through the involvement of members of the public in the promotion of local government Many communities had built school, constructed roads and bridges, and organized higher education, scholarship schemes for their children etc.  Community development as we recognize today is based on and has grown out of experience of the past. With this view the researcher wants to investigate an appraisal of local government council efforts towards community development.

 

 

 

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study is an appraisal of local government council’s efforts towards community development.  But for the successful completion of the study; the researcher intends to achieve the following sub-objectives;

1. To ascertain the role of the Local Government in the socio-economic development of community
2. To ascertain the performance of the Local Government in community through an assessment of some projects.
3. To examine the level of political empowerment through democratic performance to demonstrate if decentralization has led to empowerment
4. To verify whether inadequate financing by both state and federal governments hinders local government council in carrying out developmental programmes in community

1.4 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES

For the successful completion of the study, the following research hypotheses were formulated by the researcher;

 H₀: Local Government does not play significant role in the socio-economic development of community

H₁: Local Government play significant role in the socio-economic development of community

H₀²: inadequate financing by both state and federal governments does not hinders local government council in carrying out developmental programmes in community

H₂: inadequate financing by both state and federal governments hinders local government council in carrying out developmental programmes in community

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

It is believed that at the completion of the study, the findings will be of benefit to the local government council. The study will also be of great benefit to the researchers who intends to embark on research on similar topics as it will serve as a guide. Finally, the study will be of great importance to academia’s, lecturers, teachers, students and the general public.

1.6  SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

The study covers an appraisal of local government council’s effort towards community development. The researcher encounters some constrain which limited the scope of the study;

1. a) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study
2. b) TIME: The time frame allocated to the study does not enhance wider coverage as the researcher has to combine other academic activities and examinations with the study.
3. c) Organizational privacy: Limited Access to the selected auditing firm makes it difficult to get all the necessary and required information concerning the activities.

1.7 DEFINITION OF TERMS

LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCIL: Local government is a form of public administration which, in a majority of contexts, exists as…. With mayors, councils, and boards in place at the local level, newly elected officials, civil society organizations, decentralized technical services

EFFORT: If you make an effort to do something, you try very hard to do it. | Meaning, pronunciation, translations and examples

COMMUNITY: A community is a small or large social unit (a group of living things) who has something in common, such as norms, religion, values, or identity.

DEVELOPMENT: Development definition, the act or process of developing; growth; progress: child development; economic development.

1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows

Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), historical background, statement of problem, objectives of the study, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding.  Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study

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