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AN APPRAISAL OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT COUNCILS EFFORTS TOWARDS RURAL DEVELOPMENT

ABSTRACT

This research work was undertaken with a view to ascertaining the rural development in Enugu state of Nigeria with a focus on Udi local government Area- as a case study.  The work looked critically (in question) towards rural development within its area of jurisdiction.  In doing this, the researcher based his study on the provision of the 10976 local government reform in Nigeria which made rural development one of the explicit functions of the local government councils. In carrying out the research, primary and secondary data were used.  Related literature were reviewed (secondary data chapter 2) and questionnaire were equally prepared and administered to local government functionaries (primary data chapter 4). The technique use in analyzing the primary data is the chi-square (x2). The finding of the research was reached using the result of the tested hypothesis.  For the analysis, it was found that many factors act as stumbling blocks on the way of rural development in Udi local. Government area and the state general. Such factors include:

a. Lack of adequate organization frame work and orientation

b. Lack of dedication and commitment on the part of the local government councils to the cause of rural development.

c. Misplacement of organization priorities and consequently, misdirection of funds

d.Lack of executive capacity arising from lack of adequate trained, motivated and dedicated staff for effective and efficient implementation of council decision.

e. the unhealthy political atmosphere existing in the local government councils.

f. And finally, the unreliable external funding and inability to generate revenue for development purposes. 

From the above findings, the researcher concluded by making a sense of recommendations among which are the co-ordination of the development efforts of the various formal and informal organizations in the overall rural development programmes, and procurement of adequately trained personnel for the organizational and educational processes associated with rural development.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background to the Study

Local government has and will continue to be one the prime factor of development in different parts of the world and their importance and impact on daily activities of citizens cannot be over emphasized. The term local government refers to a political authority set up by a nation or state as subordinate authority for the purpose of dispensing or decentralizing political power. In the English sense, it means local self government. Local government is a political sub-division of a national government, or in federal system, a sub-division of regional government in fact, local government administration is so intentioned with rural development that any discussion on one out of necessity involved the others. This is because to bring development to the rural at the grass root.

Rural development is not a new ideology. It is defined as  a process by which the efforts of the people themselves are linked with those of governmental authorities to improved the economic social and cultural conditions of rural, to integrate them into life of the action, and to enable them to contribute fully to the national progress.  Also the role of local government in the promotion of development at the 1976 local government reforms which emphasized that none of the principle objectives of local government is to mobilize human and materials resources through the involvement of members of the public in the promotion of local government. Many rural has build school, constructed roads and bridges, and organized higher education scholarship schemes for their children etc rural development as we recognized today is based on and has grown out of experience of the past.    The concept of rural development is based on the faith. In the ability of people to learn how to help themselves attain an improved standard of living building better rural taking one step at a time.

Rural development has thus remained up the priority item of the programmes of the administration. In drawing up the blue print for rural development government at Enugu State aims primary at sensitizing and mobilizing the people at the grass roots level and deliberately and actively involving them in effective rural development, encouraging integrated and multi dimension approach to rural development for the government to achieve the grass roots development, it must get closer to the people. Rural development groups and local government should work very closely, government should work very closely, because for instance, a service project such as maternity dispensary or school which is built without the full support of the relevant local government, has very lean changes of survival, since the running and main tenancy expenses of such service are usually too heavy to be borne invalided such rural.

Local govt. Service commission

Chairman Chief Executive

Organization of Udi Local Government   

Sup. For Agric

Sup. For health

H.O.D

H.O.D Health

Su. Works & Transdport

Sup. For Education Community

H.O.D education rural development

H.O.D Works

The council is consist of six (6) major department personnel; health; work; financial; agriculture; and education and development.  The council is made up to two sets of staff. The Executive and the officers, at the apex of the organization, the chairman is the chief executive and the controller of both men and materials including finances. Below him is the vice chairman who assists and co-ordinate the activities delegated to him from time to time.  Below their levels are the four line supervisors charged of agric, health, education, rural development and works respectively. Both the chairman and the supervisors are the policy maker as far as the council is concerned.

On the other hand, the local government service commission is the employer of all carrier officers 9civl servants) under this local government system. At the apex of the carrier officers is the secretary director of personnel who is in charged of the day to day administration. Below him is a deputy secretary who co-ordinate the activities of both senior and the junior staff including other functions in his schedule.  The internal auditor occupies a central position midway between the carrier officers and the executive chairman. He is the alarm clock of the council especially when the envisages that anything goes wrong with the expenditure of government fund.  He may raise an audit alarm.  Below this levels are the line carrier staff known as heads of department.  Each occupying specific department such as agric, 1-6 above. Each H.O.D maintains discipline within his area, check the attendant and roll call and distribute functions amongst the rank and file senior and junior staff under him.

Statutory / Committee:

In local government there are some operative statutory committee charged with specific functions:

a. The junior staff management committee with a chairman and secretary. This organ is charged with discipline, promotion, transfer and conversion of junior staff under grade level 01-06

b. F and a: This is an organ responsible for monetary approval and expenditure above to N500,000.00 to N1m.

The executive chairman acts as the chairman while the local government secretary acts as his secretary. Rural development is a department solely charged with co-ordination development activities in various rural between the councils area of jurisdiction However, the department cannot carryout or executes its functions departments or units within the council for example, rural development as a department heeds funds which must be raised and released by the finance department from its internally generated revenue sources.  In addition, for a community project to be implemented the survey and planning department must be carried out his own specific duties in town planning and market designs, so also road works and maintenance, building of markets, as well as agricultural development cannot succeed without the works department engineers and agric officers.  Health is one of the major premise of rural development functions.

1.2  Statements of Problems

Our understanding in this study is to investigate and appraise to what extent the local government council as represented by Udi local government area of Enugu state , has been and to mobilize human ad material resources for development of its area of authority.  In line with the of 1976 local government reforms.

The researcher will also in this course of this study to find answers to the following problems.

a. To what extents has the rural development objectives of the present local government system been realized in Udi local government area.

b.To what extent has the local government approach to rural development facilitated the realization of the reforms, including the present military government rural development objectives?

c. is there not a better alternative to the local government councils current attitude to rural development? The above questions are closely interlinked and will be my guide to conduct this appraisal work and suggest some possible solutions where necessary.

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