2.0 REVIEW
OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter presents a review of literature that are
pertinent to this research work.
Furthermore, a review of related literature
for clear understating of the two working concept; local government and rural
development in Nigeria is of paramount necessity because of the usefulness of
local government to rural development or rural community in Nigeria especially
in a populated country like ours.
However, the researcher contributed
enough efforts in reviewing related texts on the topic from various political
scientists, analyst and social science scholars who had written on the topic at
hand previously these discussions of the review were done under the following subheadings:-
·
Local government
as a link to rural development in Nigeria.
·
Rural and
community development
·
Advantages of
rural and community development.
·
Role of local
government in community development
·
Problem of
community development in Idemili North.
2.1 Local
Government as a Link to Rural Development in Nigeria.
Local
government as an engineer to rural development has contributed tremendously in
the transformation of grassroots living. Thereby making life so meaningful to
them the provision of social amenities, rural infrastructures and political
education.
Thus, Ibodje (1989) observed that
the role of local government is to involve the local people in political
process and to assist them resolve their differences ie local government
political role is that it serves as an instrument for facilitating the spread
of democratic participation to the local people.
Consequently, Nwangwu (1991)
observed that one of the principle objective of the Nigeria local government
was to bring about even and rapid development at the local level throughout the
country.
The primary objective or philosophy
underlying the creation and / or establishment of local government in Nigeria
can be summarized as here under:-
To
advance the course of rural development through;
·
The provision and
maintenance of in restructure facilities, like roads, health care services,
electricity, water etc.
·
To facilitate and
bring nearer to the people the experience of democratic self government and its
dividends.
Reacting also to the concept of local government
Nwankwo (1992) has it that local government or local authority is a government
set up by a centrality authority or state government as a means of ensuring
effective administration at the grass-root level in other words, a local
government is the type of government that help either the central or state
government to carry out effective administration of the country at the
grass-root level.
Furthermore, in legal terms, a local government is
defined as a body corporate, having perpetual succession and a common moveable
and it can sue and be sued.
According to Ofoeze (1997), he sees local government
as a system of government at the local level exercise through locally elected
representative council enjoying sustained autonomy in the exercise of specific
power over a given locality in the performance of a range of functions and
responsibilities allocated to it by law. Thus, as professor, Ademolekun (1979)
avers, a local government must be able to exercise substantial control over
local affairs as well as the staff and institutional and financial powers to
initiate and direct the provision of service and to determine and implement
projects of its own.
In addition to this assertion local government
autonomy is merely a paper framework, which is not really implemented to the
test of the constitution that created local government.
Onwe (2004) opines that local government is a smallest
government body created to take care of all local interest that require
government attention.
According to Okpata (2004) local government can
contribute to national building in a number of ways, one way is by
constituently an area where local view and feeling can be expressed, thereby
preventing them for becoming build up tension, build up tension at the local
level can explode with adverse consequences not only to the local environment
but also to the National system as a whole.
Thus, local level politics do often get liked up with
central level politics and vice-versa. The role of local government in this
respect is to provide an organized environment for the discussion of National
issues at the local level. For instance, National issues like poverty
eradication, universal Basic Education, Privatization and commercialization etc.
Laski (1966) sees local government as a government
that is closer to the local people and their problems. Because of this
closeness of its constituency, it has more efficient agent providing those
services that are essentially local.
According to Osenwota (1994), local government system
is a public sector organization with assigned functions and responsibilities,
administrative maintaining itself and rendering its statutory assigned functions
and responsibilities. In addition to Osenwota assertion, state government should
leave local government to perform their statutory function rather than
regarding local government as an administrative appendage to the state
government, where state is at the parlour of enjoyment, regarding local
government as an errand body.
Mill and Alex de Tocquevill (1912) voice out that
local government is said to provide political education by constituting a forum
for the socialization of citizens and political participants. Thus, in addition
to providing general political education, local government is said to
constitute a forum for political training etc.
Mackenzie who share the view that local government
provides valuable training, traced the notion back to Benthan (1915), who
described the local government as a “sub legislature” constituting a nursery
for the supreme legislature.
According to Thorinhill (1912), he observed that the
role of the local government is to provide the political forum for the people to
share in government and resolve their differences i.e local government
political role is that it serves as an instrument for facilitating the spread
of democratic participation to the people.
Sharp (1976) has the idea that local government rather
the an other decentralization agencies of the central government Isbether
placed for efficient administration of local resources and provision of
services as it does.
It is only a local government authority that has the
political independence for such choice. Decentralization branches of the
central ministries to do so. The political independence also entitles local
government to independence source of revenue.
Consequently, Bryce (1921) said that local government is
the best school of democracy and the best guarantee of its success is the
practices of local self government.
Okpata (2003) said that local government is a creation
of national government local government acquires its meaning and rationale only
within the territories of an existing national government, hence local
government according to Okoli (2003) exist to:
a.
Fill a gap which
the national government is to remote to fill. Complement and extend the national
government closer to the people.
b.
Implement the
ideals, objectives, programmes and aspiration of the local level;
c.
The ideology of
the national government needs objectives and aspirations constitute crucial determinant
of the structure and functions of local government.
According to Odenigwe (1977) local government has
generally been seen as the system of local administration under which local
communities and towns are organized to maintain law and order, provide limited
range of social services, public amenities and encourages co-operation and participation
of the inhabitants in joint endevours towards the improvement of their
condition of living.
Olewa (1996) sees local government as a process of
facilitating industrialization by encouraging small scale industries such as
garri processing industry, rice mill industry bag making, soap production and
shoe industries. Those industries could be encourages by provision of land,
soft loans and credit facilities, graders and bulldozers by the local
government to enable them take off.
In the words of Agena (2004) conceptually, a local
government is a government set up by a central authority or state government as
a means of ensuring effective administration at the grass roots.
Alternatively, a local government is a type of
government that help either the central or state government to carryout
effective administration of the country at the grass root level.
Okata et al (2000) defines local government as “A
political sub-division of a nation or (in a federal system) the state which is
constituted by law and his substantial control of local affairs, including the
powers to impose taxes or to exact labour for the prescribed purpose.
According to Nwosu (1985), stress that local
government is the government of some particulars local community which include
three general criteria which a local government unit must meet to qualify as a
government.
The first holds that a unit must have existence as an
organized entity with essential co-operate power. Secondly, a unit must enjoy
sustained autonomy as evidenced by fiscal and administrative independence subject
only to requirements of state of law and supervision. In addition local
government is a system of administration of a district, country etc. by an
elected representative of people.
2.2 Rural Community Development Association
in Communities in Idemili North Local Government
Community development association have been defined as
“A confederation of voluntary mutual aid association formed by individual from
a particular rural community but residents of different town in the country and
at times outside it” (Enemuo, 1990). The definition of community development association
given have brings out the global objectives of community development
association to include the fostering of unity among communities development,
the execution of self help projects and they also assist in maintenance of
peace and order in the community.
According to Enemuo (1990), there are two types of
community development association in Nigeria namely, the town unwns, which a
dominated and championed by elite and which do not necessarily have organized
branch outside the community in which they are based. For example the various
age-grades in the rural villages and community development association are
dominated and championed by modernized elite from civil services and retired
ex-services personnel who are enlighten members of the community in which they
are suspected to acquire new techniques concerning rural development.
But is not necessary associating the leadership of all
the community development association with modernizing elites. It was admitted
that they are age-grade associations which do not have elite as their leaders.
There are many community development association in
different communities in Idemili North local government. For instance, we have
Abatete development association (ADO), Umuoji development association (UDA)
Nkpor development association (NDA), Eziowelle development association (EDA)
etc. all these development associations mentioned above are elite association,
their aims are well articulated while age –grade association are more common
due to that it has been existing for a long time before the existence of the
elite groups.
These rural development associations had in one way or
the other initiated development project and commissioned them for the use by
their members of the community. The Umunna and clubs are the most prominent in
the communities of Idemili North local government.
The most common and oldest form of community
development association is the age-grade association (Ogbo) which is founded in
all area. These association organized themselves and relatively worked on each
of the members farm. They also provide manual labour when there are communal
projects. They also make financial and material contribution to execution of
self-help projects.
Furthermore, many community development association in
Idemili North local government have approved constitution that guide their
activities, such constitution are binding on all members. This distinguishing
community development association from local government established by edicts,
which are imposed on them by the cultural or sub-national government.
It should be concluded that based on the analysis
given above it is clear that practices of community development association in
Idemili North local government is not a new thing hence it has been one of the
are whereby the people initiated their development programmes and also identify
the community needs in order for them to communicate them to the government for
their intervention.
2.3 Advantages of Rural and Community
Development in Idemili North Local Government
The concept of community development has been used in
different contexts and for different purpose by different scholars unity
development guide lines of the international co-operative administration of the
United States cited in Ndukwe (2005). According to that Agency, community
development is “a process of social action which the people of a community
organize themselves for planning an action, define their common and individual needs
and problem; execute these plans with a maximum reliance upon community”.
Darby and Morris in Okpata (2004) define community
development as “an education which would raise levels of local awareness and
increases the confidence and ability of community groups identity and tackle
their own problems.
The concept of community development also has to do
with the elimination of such limiting circumstances of life as poverty, hunger,
ignorance, sickness and fear, in a bid to bring about improvement in the
standard of living of a people.
Finally, community development can be said to mean participation
by the people themselves in efforts to improve their level of living and the
provision of technical and social services in ways which encourages initative
and self help. (Nkwede, 2009).
According to Nkwede (2009), them advantages of
community development are that
·
It relief’s the
government huge financial burden.
·
It encourages
healthy socio-economic competition among local communities.
·
Community
development method helps to encourage local initiate and promote democratic
participation.
·
Participation
will speed up the process of social change amng people.
·
People’s participation
in programme planning is a useful learning experience.
·
Participation
also provides motivation forces necessary in carry out such programmes.
·
It helps government
achieve its goal rural development.
Rural and community development in Idemili North local
government widely speed up participation, enhance adequate social change among
the people in different communities. These people that could not have sense of
belonging are today integrated to the extent they can now think of what they
can provide for themselves and what government will provide as a priority. It
also offers opportunity to rural community dwellers to participate in programme
planning of their community.
Consequently, rural and community development in
Idemili North local government helps to harness local resources like cassava
and yam jointly planted for project purpose and now canalized through group efforts.
This also relief’s the government of huge financial burden, now because government
now have a direct focus in going to major project.
The problem of finance to attend some other project
will reduce since individual are seriously contributing to development.
A also helps the people of Idemili North local government
to achieve one of its goal of rural and community development. This is because when
project awaiting for only a source, none of the project will be busy filling
case of marginalization on the area of infrastructures to the local government
or state government.
2.4 Role of Local Government in Community
Development
According to Nkwede (2009), be mentioned the various
areas in which local government can facilitates rural and community development.
They include the following.
In transportation sector, local government plays
important role in constructing and maintaining rural roads and they also build bridges
and culverts to link up communities to the local headquarters. They can equally
embarked on mass transit programme with the aim of helping the rural people and
not necessarily to make profit.
In gricultural sector, Nigerians in rural areas engage
nostly in agricultural activities the local government can educate and help the
local farmers to understand the mechanisms and appreciate the modern techniques
of production through the use of quick maturing high yielding, varieties of
seeds, chemical fertilizers, mechanization of agricultural operation like the
use of pesticides local government can equally make available agricultural
inputs to local farmers at moderate prices.
Provision of essential amenities is also one of the
role of local government in bringing development to many communities in rural
areas, lack of social amenities such as water and electricity is responsible for
the wide gap between the rural and urban areas. But local government can
ameliorate this problem by engaging on rural electrification and provision of
good drinking water to the rural dwellers. Rural electrification is a necessity
for economic development of rural areas while good drinking water will reduce
the rate of water borne disease.
Local government can contribute to rural development through
rural industrialization. This they can do by encouraging small scale industries
such as garri processing industry, palm oil processing, bag making, fish
industry, livestock etc. local government can do this through provision of credit
facilities such as soft loan, tax freedom for some years etc.
In health care, the provision of health facilities to
the rural people should be a priority to the local government. However, the
poor attitude of most local government towards health is the most important
social service that can be provided to the people.
The local government should support community
development projects by the provision of grants in aid, technical expertise and
necessary building and construction materials and machinery. These, conducive
enabling conditions made by the local government, the development of the rural
communities is facilitated and enhanced.
In education sector, it behaves on local government to
build and maintain schools, with infrastructural facilities such as tables and
chairs for both the teachers and the pupils. Relevant books should be made
available in the libraries to inculcate reading habit in to the pupils.
In addition. local government authorities are saddled
with the responsibilities of clearing a refuse from dumpsites, and disposal of
sewage in some area for incineration. They has however achieved limited success
in this area but this does not remove the fact that they have tried seriously.
It will be seen from the foregoing that local
government have multiple purpose that they serve which cut across the
political, economical and social spheres of the local communities under them,
this has in no little way contributed meaningful to their development individually
and severally.
2.5 Problems of Community Development in
Idemili North Local Government
There is after a tendency of conflict of interest to
arise between central planner and self-help movement in Idemili North local
government in so far as rural and community development is concerned. The perspectives of the two group of people
have after been at variance. The result
has been the much “rooming” of large members of project which have come out
with conflicts in various development plans, which have been drawn up.
Secondly,
there has been always a tendency for self-help effort to be directed from the
planners point of view towards less productive activities. This happened at one community in Idemili
North local government named “Abatete” where an association have double
projects and in order of priority that of “Odida” project suppose to come last
as it is the last child of Abatete but because the chairman of the association
happens to come from Odida village, their project was first accepted.
Finally,
there are some other problems of community development as cited in Nkwede
(2009) they are:-
·
Lack of
coordination and reliable leaders
·
Lack of trained
personnel or professional workers
·
Cultural,
political and religious differences
·
Poor
participation by the people.
·
Wrong view of
idea about what community development is all about.
·
Illiteracy,
apathy and indifference on the
·
Corruption.
·
Un for seen
circumstance like natural disaster.
In summary, rural and community development in Idemili
North Local Government has tremendously a development through Local government
assistance and self-help project embarked upon by the various rural and
community development associations.
REFERENCES
Okpata, F.O (2003), Contemporary issues and practices
in Nigerian Local Government Administration. Enugu: Jones Communication publication.
Nkwede, V.I (2009) Community Development and Urbanization
in Nigeria (theories and practice). Anambra: Chambers Books Limited publication.
Ugwu, S.C (2001), Issues in local Government and rural
Administration in Nigeria. Enugu: Echrlsi and co-publishers.
Mills, E.S (1987), Handbook of Regional and urban
economics. New york: Else View Science Publishers.
Essang S.M (1975): Growth models and Rural Development.
Ibadan University Press.