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THE EFFECT OF POLITICAL CRISIS ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1  BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Political crisis is a universal phenomenon. Individuals and groups through history have in one form or another resulted to crisis or its potential use as a political action. However, it has no steady definition, it depends on how one presents it. Political crisis is a periodic occurrence in Nigeria and elsewhere in the world. Crisis has been used by groups holding power, and by groups in process of loosing power, for many years the study of the effects of political crisis on the rural development was given relatively scant treatment in social science literature. However, over the years, many political theorists have come to recognize crisis as threat or threat of violence as a dimension of both national and international politics. That is to say that, there is now an increasing awareness among contemporary political scientists that crisis and other forms of civil strife are always associated with exercise of power at all levels of political interaction.

It is against this background that this study probes into the effects of political crisis on rural development in Benue state with Tarka local government area a case study and with particular reference to it.

1.2STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

The desire to underline this study is to assess and offer possible solution to the problem associated with political crisis, which is prevalent in Nigerian political scene generally and particularly in Tarka local government area. It is disheartening to see that in recent times of political crisis in Tarka local government area have attained an alarming level that meaningful rural development efforts are completely destroyed. These social vices have entered deeply into the social, economic and political fortunes at resolving them appear a near impossibility. The researcher thus posed these questions.

(i) What are the factors responsible for the frequent occurrence of political crisis in Tarka local government area?

(ii) What are the effects of political crisis on rural development efforts of Tarka local government Area?

(iii) What are the measures necessary to abate political crisis?

It is due to the ugly trends which follow political crisis that this study is informed to investigate and ascertain the effects of political crisis on rural development and how this could be mitigated.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

This study intends to achieve the following objectives:

(i) To identify the causes and examine the effects of political crisis on rural development.

(ii) To inform the Benue State Government about the dangers of political crisis so as to make policies that will minimize the trend.

(iii) To expose the people of Tarka local government area of Benue state to the effects of political crisis so as to be able to resolve political differences amicably.

1.3 RESEARCH PROPOSITIONS

The research formulated the following propositions to help her validate her findings;

(i) Political crisis affects active political participation in rural areas.

(ii) Political crisis hinders rural development and defers prospective investors.

(iii) Poor leadership encourage political crisis

(iv) The attitude and characters of the people of Tarka local government are responsible for political crisis in the area.

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study is of great significance because of the following rationale:

(i) It will contribute the body of existing knowledge and thus, enable policy makers and implementers to formulate and execute policies that will reduce political crisis in Tarka and Benue state in general.

(ii) It is also significant for the award of National Certificate of Education at the college of Education Wannune Benue state in Political Science Department.

(iii) It will bring to light the extent to which political crisis affects rural development in Tarka of Benue state in particular.

(iv) It will also help to uncover and reveal the various causes of political crisis in Tarka and also in Benue stat particularly.

1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will cover the presence of ten (10) council wards of Tarka local government area. The study examines the effects of political crisis on rural development between 1999 to 2013 in the said local government area. This period is considered important to the researcher because it is within the period that this problem assumed, appearing dimension in the area under study.

1.6 DEFINITION OF CONCEPTS

i. The Concept of Crisis: The concepts of “Crisis or Violence” define any precise commonly accepted definitions. The concept often serves as “Catch all” for every variety of protest, militancy, and coercion which a given observation happens to fear to condemn “Tilley 1778:174) The frequent conceptualization of force and crisis or violence tends to confuse the distinction between “Legality”, Legitimacy and specific acts often force is taken to men legal and legitimate use of crisis by a government for the protection of the state while crisis is interpreted as illegal an illegitimate acts carried out by non-governmental individuals and groups.

However, for our study, we shall define political crisis as the use of threat or physical act carried by individuals within a political system against other individuals and of property with the intent to cause injury or death to persons and of damages or destruction to properties, and whose objectives, choice or target or victims. Surrounding circumstances, implementation and effects have political significance that tends to modify the behaviors of others in the existing arrangement or power structure that has some consequences for the political system.

Economic crisis can be defined as the process by which the financial position of the people is in a stage of difficulty, danger, penury or poverty, properties looted by people of selfish ambition. Economic crisis is also a period by which the revenue collected is been siphoned by the people of the state who have characters or bitterness.

Social Crisis is a period by which thanksgiving organized by the congregation is been managed by the things and terrorists. This period, people find it difficult to worship their creator.

Our working definition suggests that for crisis to be political crisis, the process is considered to be the system of distribution of values carried out by specific individuals within institutions.

Crisis can be grouped by the types and the form of crisis investigated in the study includes, party clashes, political demonstrations with violence, looting arson and political assassinations.

ii. The Concept of Rural Development: There is no general accepted definition of rural development, the situation arose from the confusion in the concept of development itself, however, Seers (1969) suggested that the concept involves the doctrine of the eradication of poverty, unemployment and inequality in the rural areas.

For our study, rural development is a process centered with the improvement as well as transformation of social, mental, economic, institutional and environmental conditions of rural dwellers through the mobilization and rational utilization of their human, material and institutional resource so as to enhance their capacities to cope with the daily taste and demands of modern times.

1,7 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

A study of this nature requires enough financial resource and adequate time. However, lack of financial, materials and time resources are major limitation of the study. One hundred and fifty (1O0) questionnaires were distributed.

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