CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Local government is widely accepted as a viable instrument
for rural transformation and for delivery of social service to the people.
Local government is the third tier of government in a
federal system like Nigeria. As a third tier of government, it is charged with
the responsibility of rural and community development. It is divided into
political sub-division of the nation into units to power. This is why the
National guideline for local government reform of 1978 of Nigeria conceived of
local government.
Government at the local level exercised through a
representative council established by law to exercise specific functions with
defined areas. These powers should give the local government substantial
control over local affairs as well as staff and institutional and financial
powers to initiate, determine, and implement profit so as to complement the
activities of government in the area (Ezeani, 2004).
As a third tier of government endowed with statutory grant
from federal and state government, local government were expected to serve as
effective agent of social, political and economic development at the grassroot
level.
The 1975 local government reform assigned more authority
and functions to the local government. They were recognized as third tier of
government in the country with the responsibility of facilitating community
development through bringing the government nearer to the local people through
local government transformation. (Abubakar, 2010; Aluko 2006; Anyanwu 1992).
The reform was a method designed to bring an improvement in
the social and economic life of the people, the rural communities and making
process of their development self sustaining by reducing rural muting the basic
needs of the people increasing employment and providing amenities like roads,
water supply, light, good communication network, hospitals, designed to improve
their rural social political, economic and cultural lives.
Prior to the nationwide reform, the performance of local
government in community development was very poor, although since the reform
(local government) have also performed much in this context. The low
performance of local government can be attributed to various factors hindering
factors or problems include poor management of resources, poor financial
allocation from both state and federal government, poor implementation strategy
of their project, unskilled personnel from local people, state and federal
government and many more (Barikor, 1984).
The need for effective and efficient local government for
community development cannot be overemphasized. For community development to
take place properly in a developing country like Nigeria, local government must
be used. The local government needs to mobilize and deliberately involve the
local people in the participation of the political and social activities at the
state and federal levels. Local government is responsible for creating
necessary awareness among the local people.
Community development is the process of improving the
general standard of living of the people at the local area through positive,
social, economic improvement, high industrialization, socio-cultural and
political change to enhance social improvement. Since change is an in edible
character of nature, then there is need for improvement in the standard of
living of the people. This improvement can only be achieved through local
transformation of the local communities by the local government. It is against
this background the study was undertaken.
1.2 Statement of Problem
Local government may be regarded as government of the
grassroot, it is created and it derives its power from the statutory instrument
of the state or central government. It performs certain duties and functions.
According to the 1970 local government reform, a local government is a
government at the local level exercised through representative council’s area
(Ibodje 2000). The same reform also recognized local as the third tier level of
government at the local level.
In Nigeria, the structure of local government varies from
one to another before 1976 to include divisional council, district council and
local council. In some, local government was known as native authority.
Nevertheless, several problems hinder the local government
from achieving its community development objectives in the country (Adeyemi
2012).
Sagbama Local Government Area since its creation like any
other local government in Nigeria has its own problem which inhibits the effort
of the local government to achieve effective community development. There is
several criticisms hold by different people against the performance of the
local government authority towards community development.
The aforementioned therefore, require a sociological
investigation to assess the performance of Sagbama Local Government Area in
community development.
1.3 Objectives of the Study
The general objective of this study is to investigate the
role of Sagbama Local Government in community development.
i. To assess
the performance of local government especially in the area of development,
education and infrastructural facilities and social amenities.
ii. To
identify factors militating against Nigerian local government system in community
development.
iii. To
ascertain the level which Sagbama Local Government has been living up its
constitutional responsibilities in terms of community development?
iv. To
provide intellectual thoughts on the issues raised and stimulate areas for new
research.
v. To suggest
solutions to the problems identified.
1.4 Research Questions
This research seeks to answer the following questions
i. What is
the degree of seriousness towards the provision of infrastructural facilities
by Sagbama Local Government Area to its citizenry?
ii. Is
Sagbama Local Government Area satisfied with the revenue available to her?
iii. Have the
available financial resources bun misappropriated?
iv. What type
of project does Sagbama Local Government Area carry out?
v. Has
Sagbama Local Government Area embarked on any agricultural and industrial
programmes in the course of governance?
1.5 Significance of the
Study
The significance of this study will be viewed in three
perspectives, which includes; theoretical, practical and methodological
significance.
i. Theoretically,
this study is significant in the sense that it will provide governments at all
levels the much needed data for policy formulation, its findings shall serve as
basis to many other literatures to be written and also contributing to the
variety of written and also contributing to the variety of knowledge that exist
in Bayelsa State, Nigeria and the world at large concerning the issue under
study. This research work shall serve as a beaconing light to other research
that would be carried out on similar subjects. In essence, it shall serve as a
major source of literature review to other researchers.
ii.
Practically, this study shall recommend some practical alternative measures
aimed at improving the role of local government in community development.
iii.
Methodologically, this study is significant in the sense that various research
methods have been used in explaining different phenomenon. Their suitability
will be proven here thereby enabling us to contribute to the research methods
used.
1.6 Definition of Terms
Role: Role is that
complex of pattern of behaviour associated with a particular social status in a
given social group (Martins 2005). Operationally, the conceptual definition
stands for this research work.
Local Government:
Local government has been defined in the guideline for local government reform
of 1976 as government at the local level exercised through representatives,
council established by law exercise specific powers within the defined areas
(Bello-Imam 2007). Operationally local government is seen as a system of local
administration under which local communities and towns are organized to
maintain law and order, provide aid encourage some cooperating and
participation of the inhabitant in joints endeavours towards the improvement of
their conditions of living.
Development:
Development can be defined as a systematic increase of man’s capabilities for
mastering his environment, satisfying basic human needs and realizing his
potentials (Claude Ake, 1980). Operationally, development refers to the
fundamental efforts by people or society to come to grip with the imperatives
of their environment.
Community Development: Community development is defined as the process by which the
efforts of people are united with those of government authorities to improve
the social economic, social cultural conditions of the community’s life of the
nation and enable them to contribute fully to the national progress (UN).
Operationally, the aforementioned definition still stands for this research
work.
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