ABSTRACT
This study critically looked at the Role of Local
Government in Rural Development in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau
State, Nigeria. This research work fundamentally analyzed Local Government as a
veritable tool for grass root democracy and a process for the bringing of
Government nearer to the people. It has focused on the development and general
wellbeing of the rural populace of Jos South Local Government. To attain the
purpose of this research work on the subject matter, this research work is
divided into five chapters. Chapter one deals with the introduction of the
topic under review. Chapter two basically looks at the literature review.
Chapter three contains the historical background of the study. While chapter
four deals with presentation and analysis of the Government Area. Finally
chapter five deals with summary, conclusion and recommendation of the research
findings.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
1.2
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
1.3
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1.4
THE OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
1.5
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
1.6
SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
1.7
METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY
1.8
HYPOTHESES
1.9
THE WORK PLAN OF THE STUDY
CHAPTER
TWO
LITERATURE
REVIEW
2.1 THE
CONCEPT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
2.2 THE
CONCEPT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
2.3 THEORIES
OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT
2.4 EVOLUTION
OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA IN NIGERIA
2.5 THE 1976 LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORM
2.6 AIMS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE 1976 LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORMS
2.7 STRATEGIES FOR IMPLEMENTING THE 1976 LOCAL GOVERNMENT REFORMS.
2.6.1
CURRENT
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ADMINISTRATION IN NIGERIA
2.9 THE ROLES OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT
2.10 THE FUNCTIONS AND POWERS OF LOCAL
GOVERNMENT
CHAPTER
THREE
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
3.1 EVOLUTION OF JOS SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
3.2 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF JOS SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
3.4 RURAL DEVELOPMENT POLICY OF JOS SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
CHAPTER
FOUR
PRESENTATION
DATA AND ANALYSIS
4.1 CONTRIBUTION
TO AGRICULTURE
4.2 CONTRIBUTION
TO EDUCATION
4.3 CONTRIBUTION
TO RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE
4.4 CONTRIBUTIONS
TO RURAL WATER AND ELECTRICITY SUPPLY
4.5 CONTRIBUTION
TO HEALTH CARE DELIVERY
4.6 PROBLEMS
AND CHALLENGES CONFRONTING JO$ SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATION
5.1 SUMMARY
5.2 CONCLUSION
5.3 RECOMMENDATION
REFERENCES:
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.10
BACKGROUND
OF THE STUDY
Local
government as a means for grass roots and national development has persisted in
spite of modern achievements in the fields of politics, economics, technology,
communication, transportation etc. the increasing demand for local government
in every part of the world is being motivated by the desire of the rural
populace to contribute directly in the affairs of their communities. In fact,
local government is as old as mankind; because it is the only form of human’s
administration that has existed from the history of man. The theory of human
society is shrouded with the necessity of community development through a
recognized local administrative structure that culminated into local government
administration.
The
1976 local government reforms in Nigeria saw local government as the government
at local level exercised through representative councils established by law to
exercise specific powers within defined area. These powers should give the
council substantial control over local affairs as well as the staff,
institutional and financial powers to initiate and direct the provision of
services. it also exists to determine and implement projects so as to
complement the activities of the state and federal government in their areas,
which is to be achieved through the active participation of the people and
their traditional institutions, so that local initiative and response to local
needs and conditions are maximized.
The
United Nations office for public administration states that local governments
should have control over local affairs which will include the powers to impose taxes or to exact labour for
prescribed purposes. It states further that those who are to govern such entity
should be elected or locally selected. The local government must also be
constituted by law (Ola, 1984).
Local
government is any form of administration that is found at the grass roots level
with the primary objective of integrating the rural populace into the decision
making process of the state (Gowon, 1990).
“Local
government is the third-tier of government in Nigeria vested with the
responsibility of transforming various communities into effective
socio-economic and political advanced structures for national development that
is the improvement of the quality of life of communities” (1979 constitution
Federal Republic of Nigeria). Therefore, local government system is an
administration of the rural areas by people who know their community needs.
This type of administration is informed by the idea that since the people know
the needs of their community, they would do everything within available
resources to develop the area.
Local
government is an agent of grass roots development because of its indispensible role in mobilizing local
resources for meaningful socio-economic and political changes in the rural
areas. The contribution of local government in the development of the rural
areas. The contribution of local government in the development of the rural
areas can be dated back to the period of community-based efforts of developing
the individual societies where local authorities are used to mobilize all
resources for development (Adamolekun, 1988). Therefore, every government seeks
to affect the lives of its citizens by the way they handle their welfare and
total well being through economic, social and political development
initiatives. This, according to early scholars forms the basis of cooperation
and reciprocity between government and the society, which engenders the
maintenance of the well being of that society. When members of the society pool
their efforts and resources together, they realize their collective goals
better. The basis of legitimacy must therefore, emanate from the ability of
government or the political institutions to discharge such basis responsibility
as provision of amenities and security to governed (Adedeji, 2000).
Every
government owes it citizens the duly to develop them through the provision of
portable water, health care, education, roads, food, shelter, and any
socio-economic variables. Such provision must also include framework that will
enable them to have a say on what they get and how they get it. It is in this
respect that the members of the society
can be expected to discharge their own civic responsibilities to the government
and the society at large. Legitimacy involves the capacity of the system to
engender and maintain the belief that the existing political institutions are
the most appropriate for the growth and development of the society. Groups regard
a political system as legitimate or illegitimate according to way in which its
values fit with theirs (Lipset, 1969).
The
existence of the three tiers of government in Nigeria is therefore, expected to
respond to these functions or responsibilities. While the three tiers have
varied geopolitical boundaries of authority, they all have certain common
responsibilities towards the development of the country in general and in
particular their individual areas of influences. As for the level of human
materials and financial resources available to them, the federal government is
the richest, followed by the state, leaving the local governments as the
poorest. Yet the latter is the closest to the majority of the people of the
country, most especially to those living in the rural areas. The local
government administration is most suited for the development of the rural
communities, which are very remote from both the state and central government.
The
Federal government said through Musa Shehu Yar’adua in the foreword to the
guidelines for local government reforms (1976):
“In embarking on these reforms, the federal military
government was essentially motivated by the necessity to stabilize and
rationalize government at the local level. This must of necessity entail the
decentralization of some significant functions of the state government to local
in order to harness local resources for rapid development. The federal military
government has therefore decided to recognize local governments as the third
tier of governmental activity in the nation”
Local
government should do precisely what the word government implies that is
government at the grass roots or local level. He went further to say that, the
reforms are intended to entrust political responsibility to where it is most
crucial and most beneficial, that is, to the people. These local governments
have remained integral parts of the administration of the country from the
colonial times and have continued to remind the people of the state and central
government. Most times they have always been composed of local people who the
members of the society can identify and relate with, culturally. This explains
the constant clamour for their creations by rural communities. There are no
institutions in this country, which are
potentially more capable and including physical infrastructural
facilities that local government councils. Local government represents the
generally accepted fact of political life that all the functions of government
cannot be run on the basis central administration alone. It consequently
represent the need for political participation and fro convenience (Hashim,
1981). This is true in recognizing the fact that apart from bringing the
government closer to the people which a popular cliché often used by government
officials, local government are better positioned to understand the development
needs of the communities.
In
spite of the existence of local government administration in Nigeria,
development in the rural areas has continued to remain a mirage. In almost
every rural community, there is dearth of portable water, health care delivery
facilities, accessible roads and good schools, among others and also infant
mortality rate and maternal deaths are on the rampage.
Mensah
and Ojowu (1989) opined that the rural areas in the third world countries have
remained backward and static at a time when the global economy has experience
and is still experiencing tremendous forward movement. Indeed, it is poverty
level of the rural communities occasioned by this lack of development that has
earned Nigeria a place among the world’s poorest nations in spite of our huge
materials and human resources. The United Nations through its human development
index (HDI) has consistently rated Nigeria among the poorest nations of the
world. This poor state of the nation, emanated essentially, from the rural
communities where over 85% of the population resides in the rural areas
(Avichi, 1995), states that it was estimated by World Bank (1990) that over
1.15billion people in developing countries were living below the poverty line
(US $350 per annum) and majority of these dwell in rural areas which constitute
about 80% of their national populations.
Ijere
(1989), observed that, Nigeria’s rural poor constitute the other Nigeria with
poverty linked characteristics, lacking purchasing power enough to maintain a
minimum standard of living and they are the victims of collective poverty in
contrast to pockets or “Islands” of underdevelopment, the American Style which
are surrounded by regions of abundances. This situation clearly generates
apathy towards government as in number of rural communities, quite a sizeable
percentage of the population do not bother about government and issues
emanating from official quarters. The level of mobilization is low and there is
little or no consolation with the communities on any issues. This trend to
question the rationality of the establishment of local government
administration, which should act as a medium for rural development. An
examination of the existence of local government administration from colonial
times reveal that successive government have handled the issue of rural
development with less than piquant approach. Local governments instead of being
used as tools for effective rural transformation, tend to be used for purposes
other than social development. Some reasons that csan be advanced for this sad
development is the fact that Before (1976), no properly articulated rural
development policies have always been introduced on the communities by
government officials without their sustainability being covered. The essence of
this study was to establish the role local government on rural development in
Jos South Local Government Council
1.11
STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
Majority
of Nigerians live in the rural communities, which have failed to witness any
significant development, despite the strategic positions the local governments
occupy in the scheme of affairs. Poverty is endemic and a stark reality that
people die from unpreventable ailment. Farming and tin mining, the main
occupations of the people is declining and, the quality of primary education
has fallen, health care delivery and access roads are in deplorable conditions.
Local
government autonomy means that the local government is elected at the local
level and operated independently of the state and federal government. The local
government is no longer an appendage or field office of the state government.
But in Nigeria today, local government lack autonomy as a result of
interferences by both the state and the federal governments. They lack the
freedom to make their own laws, rules and
regulations, formulate, execute and evaluate their own plans and the
right to recruit, promote, develop and discipline its own affairs.
Over
the years efforts have been made to reform the local government system and to
increase the participation of the people. Despite these reforms there are
problems with the local government system. However, some of the problems
associated with Jos South Local Government Area are peculiar to some of the
problems of local government in Nigeria. These problems include among other
things like insufficient funding or poor financial base to exercise complete
independence in the provision of social services, lack of adequate human, material
and financial resources both in terms of quantity and quality to carry out its
own activities, corruption and poverty mismanagement of funds and lack of
autonomy. In spite of development plans in Nigeria which dates back as far as
1946, local governments in Nigeria are still underdeveloped.
1.12
RESEARCH
QUESTIONS
1. What
is the role of local government in rural development?
2. Why
is Jos South Local Government Area not performing to expectation despite all
the resources sees at its disposal.
3. Has
local government been able to provide infrastructural facilities for the local
populace
4. Have
they been able to provide social amenities to the people?
5. What
is the level of mobilization of the citizens in the course of rural
development?
6. What
can be done to ensure sustainable rural development through local government
administration in Jos South Local Government Council?
1.13
THE
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The
study sought to investigate the roles and functions of Jos South Local
Government Area in the development of rural areas and to identify and proffer
solutions to some of the fundamental problems challenging the development of
rural areas
Specifically,
the study intends to achieve the following aims and objectives:
1. To
evaluate the role of Jos South Local Government Area in rural development.
2. To
examine the organic relationship between local government and rural
development.
3. To
make a critical appraisal of the performance of Jos South local government
council between 2008-2014 in relation to rural transformation.
4. To
identify the constraints militating against the performances of Jos South Local
Government in the development of rural areas.
5. To
analyze the prospect for Nigerian local government in the light of this
investigation and coherently recommend ways for more effective and vibrant
administration and management of local government in Nigeria.
1.14
SIGNIFICANCE
OF THE STUDY
The
important aspect of this research work is that, local governments in Nigeria
today has failed in diverse ways in the provision of social services to the local
people thereby rendering the development of rural areas impossible. However,
the essence of this research work is to provide enlightenment and to educated
the people on the need for rural development. The study will help immensely in
guiding the local government policy makers to make better decisions for rural
development in rural areas.
Thereafter,
this study is to provide an insight in which local people will be able to
participate in the politics of their communities and to educate the people on
the roles and duties they should play in the development of their locality.
Thereafter, this research is beneficial to the researchers, students, Jos South
LGC.
This
work is important due to the fact that it will go a long way to provide
literature material and propel further research in relation to the problems of
local government and rural development in Nigeria.
1.15
SCOPE
AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
This
research is designed to ascertain rural development efforts of Jos South Local
Government in line with the 1976 government reform which gave local government
wider scope in relations to their duties and functions in grassroots
developments. For the purpose of this research work instead of travelling to
research the whole local government in Nigeria or the whole local governments
in Plateau State, the researcher is limiting herself to rural development in
Jos South Local Government Council only, due to lack of time, lack of finance,
and inability to have access to materials that are required
1.16
METHODOLOGY
OF THE STUDY
The
research employed the qualitative method where the data was analyzed
descriptively in order to arrive at a logical conclusion. The source of data
collection for this research is gotten from secondary source. These are from
written document such as textbooks, dictionaries, newspapers, magazines,
journals and internet materials.
1.17
HYPOTHESES
Local
government creates an enabling environment for local people to participate in
their local affairs. However, the research hereby states the following
hypotheses:
H1:
Jos South Local Government Council has enhanced rural development in Plateau
State.
H0:
Jos South Local Government Council has not enhanced rural development in
Plateau State.
1.18
THE
WORK PLAN OF THE STUDY
Chapter
one consist of the introduction, the statement of the problem research
questions, the objective of the study, significance of the study, the scope and
limitation of the study, the methodology of the study, research hypothesis and
the work plan of the study. In chapter two, it consists of literature review,
the concept of local government, the
concept of rural development, theories of local government, evolution of local
government area in Nigeria, the 1976 local government reforms, aims and
objectives of the 1976 local government reforms, the strategies for
implementing the 1976 local government reforms, current local government
administration in Nigeria, roles of local government in rural development and
the functions and powers of local government.
Chapter
three consists of historical background of the study, the evolution of Jos
South Local Government Area, organizational structure of Jos South Local
Government Area, the administrative chart of Jos South Local Government and
rural development policy of Jos South Local Government Area. Finally, in
chapter five iit consists of summary, recommendations and conclusion.
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