THE ROLE OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

1.1 Introduction

Local government is the government at grass root designed to serve as an instrument for rapid rural development. Hence the primary purpose of local government is to bring government nearer to the local communities so that the local people could participate fully in the process of government. According to Nworji (2004), that aspect of public administration that takes place in a particular and unique sector of the community or rural areas. At all levels of administration in an organization the goals are achieved through planning, organizing, coordinating, directing and supervising the human, material and financial resources available to attend to the felt and unfelt needs of the people in that very institution and the society at large (Nworji 2004).

According to Egwu (2000:1) there is no rapport or congruence on the most appropriate strategy to the administration of the rural areas. This is made manifest in the adoption of different approaches and strategies of governance and administration by different countries, states within a country and even among local communities in a country.

As a prelude to other parts of this study, this chapter will discuss the background upon which this study was initiated, the statement of problems that led to this study, the Aim and Objectives of the study. Others are Significance of the study, Scope of work, Research questions, Limitation of the study and Definition of technical terms.

1.2 Background of Study

Local government all over the world has not only been seen as government at the grass root but also as a veritable instrument for the development of the rural areas. Local government, otherwise known as third tier government is primarily set to provide basic social facilities and services of the local dwellers, thereby quickening the process of development at the grass root levels. Before the local government reform of 1976 in Nigeria, local government has always existed in the country, going back memory lane, it will be recalled that the Richard constitution of 1996 provided for regionalization of Nigeria namely, Northern, Western, eastern regions.

This provision paved the way for the practice of local government in different way inspite of the fact that Nigeria colonial masters adopted the indirect rule system of their administrative convenience; it can be argued that it gave the indigenous chief and people the opportunity to participate in the governance of their local areas.

There is no gain saying the fact that local government has played and still plays great role in the development of communities in Nigeria. The position of the local government cannot be over emphasized. It is a government that is closer to the people and properly located to address the development problems of communities. Nigeria communities no doubt are faced with a catalogue of development problems which includes lack of infrastructural facilities poverty etc. indeed the above mentioned problems are the most pressing needs that associated with the rural areas at a closer look no doubt. Local government has been created to specifically address the above mentioned needs in recent times. It has been stated that local government has played leading roles in alleviating the suffering of the rural people.

Therefore, in Nigeria where the research was carried out, the activities that was conducted is to know the Role of Local Government in Community Development.

1.3 Statement of Problems

Investigation revealed that having known the historical background of local government and its even objective to bring rapid development to the local level through out the country (community development), these are the problems encountered in the process of seeking for success in community development in Ohaji Egbema local government area of Imo state. Also, improper funding is a problem to community development in this community.

The government grand which is supposed to eliminate the problems is very easy to secure. Bank credit facilities and capital are very difficult to come by because of collateral security, which is often demanded by financial house. The lack of fund has been responsible for the non-completion of most community development programmes all over the community.

Improper coordination is also a problem to community development because the community is not well coordinated, it lack administrative sense of operation with the acronym “POSDCORB” which entails planning, organizing, staffing, directing, coordinating report and budgeting. Due to lack of coordinating, a lot of porgrammes and resources committed into the community for the purpose of development has been wasted. The resource of any programme is dependent on proper coordination of effort involved in the programme implementation.

Finally, lack of trained and professional workers also affects the successful execution of community development programme the presense of community development experts will help to ensure success because the training which they acquired will enable them stimulate the community members to be involved in the process of community development.

1.4 Aim and Objectives of Study

The aim of the study is to examine the Role of Local Government in Community Development using Ohaji Egbema Local Government Area in Imo State as a case study. In achieving this aim, the following specific objectives were laid out as follows:

1. To assess whether the local government in Ohaji Egbema local government authority created any impact in the lives of rural dwellers;
2. To determine if poor community system in Ohaji Egbema local government area has any effect on staff overall performance;
3. To examine if there are some infrastructural development in Ohaji Egbema local government area;
4. To find out why staff welfare packages are poor in Ohaji Egbema local government area; and
5. To investigate if local government administration in Ohaji Egbema local government area serves as machinery for community development.

1.5 Research Questions

The study came up with research questions so as to be able to ascertain the above stated objectives. The specific research questions for the study are stated below as follows:

• Is local government administration in Ohaji Egbema local government area machinery for community development?
• Has poor community system in Ohaji Egbema local government area has any effect on staff overall performance?
• Are there some infrastructural developments in Ohaji Egbema local government area?
• Has the local government area in Ohaji Egbema local government authority created any impact in the lives of rural dwellers?
• What are the staff welfare packages given to the poor in Ohaji Egbema local government area?

1.6 Research Hypothesis

In order to pursue the objective of this study, the following generalized statements have been designed to guide and aids in obtaining the result for the experiment to be conducted. For this work, the null hypothesis will be represented with H0 while the alternative hypothesis will be represented with hypothesis H1.

Hypothesis One

• H0: The Local Government has not contributed towards community development of the remote area of the Ohaji Egbema local government
• H1: The local government has contributed towards community development of the remote area of the Ohaji Egbema local government

Hypothesis Two

• H0: Poor community system in Ohaji Egbema local government area does not have any significant effect on staff overall performance
• H1: Poor community system in Ohaji Egbema local government area has significant effect on staff overall performance

1.7 Significance of Study

This study is aimed at contributing to knowledge as well as assisting government to take informed decisions. This research is expected to assist our policy makers who have taken it upon themselves to sensitize the rural dwellers in Ohaji Egbema local government. This is because through the finding of this work, they would then appreciate the importance of identifying the needs of the communities before embarking on any project in a community.

This research will serve as an additional knowledge to the researcher, in order to learn more about the roles of local government in community development. It is significant not only as a guide to improvement but also as a source for enhancing progress in community development.

The research work will also be beneficial to students of public administration for more knowledge about the roles of local government in community development.

1.8 Scope of Study

The scope of the research is focused on the Role of Local Government in Community Development using Ohaji Egbema Local Government Area in Imo State as a case study.

1.9 Limitations of the Study

During the course of this study, many things militated against its completion, some of which are:

1. Time Constraint: The time frame given to accomplish this project was very short due to school academic calendar and it was carried out under pressure which made the researcher not to implement some necessary features.
2. Research material: availability of research material is a major setback to the scope of the study.
3. Frequent power failure: This made the researcher append more money on fuel to ensure sustainable power.
4. Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

1.10 Operational Definition of Terms

Community Development: Community development is a movement designed to promote better living for the whole community with active participation of people.

Local Government: This involves the various aspect of administration or administering of a service on a local basis by local bodies for the betterment of the local people.

Development: This can be defined as the desirable socio-economic and political progress which involves improvement in the general living conditions of the people.