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. 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 community development in Enugu North 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 community 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.

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 community development programmes, and procurement of adequately trained personnel for the organizational and educational processes associated with community development.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1            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 polities 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 themselves attain an improved standard of living building better communities taking one step at a time. Rural development has thus remained op 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.

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