CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
The activities of the local government have increased overtime with the effect greatly notice in most of the communities in Nigeria. It is evident that there is a federal system of government where there is constitutional division of powers among the levels of government that is the central, state and local governments in Nigeria.
Before we go into the discussion lets first of all understand what local government is all about; local government is the third tier of government in the country; in Nigeria it is usually referred to as the grass root level.
Development would not play a significant role in the lives of citizens in Nigeria if it does not affect the rural dwellers; it is as a result of this that local government was created to ensure effective and efficient service delivery to the people at the grassroots level.
The creation of the local government in many countries stems from the need to facilitate development at the grassroots. The importance of local government among others is a function of its ability to generate sense of belongingness, safety and satisfaction among its populace.
In Nigeria socio–political context, with multiplicity of culture, diversity of languages and differentiated needs and means, the importance of local government in ensuring unity and preserving peculiar diversities cannot be underestimated. Inspite of the relevance of local government, there are some problems that have faced it in the performance of its functions especially in areas of service delivery at the grassroots. Since a large percentage of the population is mostly found at the grassroot level, the development of rural areas cannot be over-emphasized. Thus, development of rural areas impacts positively on per capita income and food production. Development of the grassroot has been the concern of every responsible and responsive government.
According to Yusuf (1999), stated that rural development is the outcome of a series of quantitative and qualitative changes occurring among a given rural population and whose converging effects indicate, in time, a rise in the standard of living and favourable changes in the way of life of the people concerned. In terms of level of economic development, quality of life, access to opportunities, facilities and amenities, standard of living and general viability, the gap between the urban and rural areas in Nigeria is very wide. The rural areas are grossly neglected as far as development projects and infrastructure are concerned. The challenges and prospects of rural development in Nigerian have been of great concern to the different tiers of government due to the rate of rural-urban migration. Onibokukun (1987) sees rural development to be faced with the paradox that the production oriented rural economy relies heavily on nonproductive people who are all ill-equipped with outdated tools, technical information , scientific and cultural training and whose traditional roles and access to resources pose problems for their effective incorporation into modern economics systems. It is in light of the above discussion that the study wishes to use Nsukka local government area of Enugu State to examine the importance and challenges of the local government.
1.2 RATIONALE/THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK
The theoretical approach adopted for this paper is democratic-participatory school of thought due to the fact that it is essential to a democratic regime or for practical administrative purposes like responsiveness, accountability and control. The concept of democracy is central to the democratic-participatory school of thought. This school of thought believes that democracy is a way of life that „demands that one another’s point of view and one another’s interest be mutually appreciated. (Panter-Brick: 1970). It is a concept that is based on fair play, tolerance and respect for the right of others, a concept that accepts those to be intrinsically undeniable values (Ola: 1984). It is expected that real democratic governance would be good governance. Good governance amongst other things involves the enthronement of due process, constitutionalism, rule of law, transparency and accountability in the conduct of public affairs, the absence of good governance and its by-products, automatically leads to two negative outcomes like massive corruption and political instability. None of these outcomes is conducive to development (Muo: 2007). The general consensus among Nigerians is that corruption appears to have been institutionalized in the local government. Selection instead of election – a serious trait of anti-democratic governance among other things might have accounted for the scenario. The democratic-participatory school of thought exists solely for the purpose of bringing about democracy and Mill (1975) justified local government on three main grounds. The first was that there are certain concerns or interests which only a section of the community has in common and it is convenient as well as advisable that only those who share this community of interests should administer them. As Mill (1975) put it: The very object of having a local representation is in order that those who have any interest in common, which they do not share with the general body of their countrymen, may manage that joint interest by themselves. The second reason was that local government is one of the free institutions‟ which provides political education. According to Mill: I have dwelt in strong language hardly any language is strong enough to express the strength of my conviction on the importance of that portion of the operation of free institutions, which may be called the public education of the citizens. Now, of this operation, the local administrative institutions are the chief instrument. The third reason was that of accountability, as Mill expressed it: not only are separate executive officers required for purely local duties but the popular control over those officers can only be advantageously exerted through a separate organ. Their original appointment, the function of watching and checking them, the duty of providing, or the discretion of withholding, the supplies necessary for their operation, should rest with the people of the locality. The arguments of Mill have been refined by elaboration. Mill modern adherent, Keith (1954) argued the pedagogic value of local government, asserting that participation in local administration teaches the participant the art of weighing and choosing between competing claims and justifying the choice as a just one that is, being accountable. He further stressed that the capacity to make rational choices and the art of winning consent‟ are as much necessary in local government as in central government, and, that capacity is acquired and enhanced by participation in local government. Another adherent is Wilson (1984) who argued that the higher ultimate purposes that local government serves are political. One of these is political education which participation in local government affords. That political education is „in the first place, an education in the possible and the expedient; in the second place, it is an education in the use of power and authority and in the risks of power, in the third place, it is education in practical ingenuity and versatility. Mackenzie (1961) regarded local government as a training ground for national politicians. In addition, local government has the advantage that local knowledge, interested and intimate, firsthand knowledge which makes administration concrete and relevant‟ to a locality can be more easily and perhaps cheaply made available to the local and central authorities.
There is no doubt that the essence of local government fits into this framework in view of the federal system of government adopted and the quest for development at the grassroots level. Local government cannot meet the needs of the people without adequate participation of the local dwellers. In summary, local government, it is claimed, enables services of local importance only to be locally administered, provides education in citizenship, provides training in political leadership, makes available to the central government information about localities which is essential for adequately meeting their needs efficiently, and minimizes concentration of political power by diffusing it.
1.3 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEM
What really instigated the study was due to the inconsistency in most of the local governments in Nigeria. The study laid more emphasis on the Nsukka local government area of Enugu. It is evident that the Nsukka local government has failed to play a significant role in the socio-economic and well being of the people resident in most of the communities; some of the problems identified are bad road network, unavailability of other social amenities like good hospitals, pipe borne water, dilapidated school building and high level of unemployment. Apart from the palpable mismanagement and misapplication of funds currently witnessed in most local governments in the country, the resources available which otherwise should be used for development programmes at the grass–roots are being used to service bloated elected officials and unproductive bureaucracies (Obasanjo, 2003)
1.4 PURPOSE OF STUDY
The main aim of the research work is to examine the importance and challenges of the local government. Other specific objectives of the study include:
- To examine the relationship between the local government and the socio economic development in Nsukka local government area
- To investigate on the factors affecting the performance of the local government in Nsukka local government area.
- To discuss the roles of local government in development programmes at the grass–roots level.
- To examine the effect of local government in the development of the rural areas in Nigeria
- To proffer solution to the above stated problems
1.5 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
H0: there is no significant relationship between the local government and the socio economic development in Nsukka local government area
H1: there is significant relationship between the local government and the socio economic development in Nsukka local government area
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
The study on the importance and challenges of the local government will be of immense benefit to the entire Nsukka local government area of Enugu state, the state government and the federal government as it will discuss on the importance of local government, their challenges and their effect in the socio economic and well being of the citizens of Nigeria.
1.7 LIMITATION OF STUDY
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).
Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work
1.8 SCOPE/ DELIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The study on the importance and challenges of the local government is limited to Nsukka local government area of Enugu state. The study will cover the importance of local government, their challenges and their effect in the socio economic and well being of the citizens of Nigeria. Finally the study will cover the other existing literature on the local government.
1.9 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
LOCAL GOVERNMENT: the administration of a particular county or district, with representatives elected by those who live there.
RURAL AREA: a rural area or countryside is a geographic area that is located outside towns and cities
