IMPACT OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA

Abstract

Rural development is a crucial aspect of national development that aims at improving the living standards and well-being of the rural population. Despite the frantic efforts of the government to establish Local Government rule among the rural dwellers, Nigeria still faces serious economic, social as well environmental challenges among the rural dwellers. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of Local Government Area (LGA) on rural development in Nigeria. The study adopted descriptive survey research design type as the information collection mechanism from the participants (Local Government Area officials, rural dwellers, civil society organizations and development partners) for the purpose of predicting, describing and interpreting the subject matter. A total of One hundred and fifty (150) participants were randomly chosen from three (3) purposively chosen LGAs in Lagos State. The main instrument for data collection was a self-structured questionnaire based on the research objectives raised in the study. To validate the instrument, the questionnaire was presented to the experts in the field of test and measurements to determine the construct and content validity, while the reliability of the instrument was determined using the Cronbach Alpha with r = 0.811. The data collected from the respondents was analysed using descriptive statistics, while Chi-square statistical tool was used to test the stated hypothesis. The study found that there is a level of rural development in the chosen LGAs within the study area; there are some factors that influence the LGA's role and performance in rural development within the study area as discussed in the discussion of findings; researcher was able to discover the challenges and opportunities facing the LGA in rural development such as inadequate funding, poor accountability, corruption, political interference, and lack of community participation and finally, there is no significant impact of LGA in rural development. The study concludes that LGA can be an effective catalyst for rural development if these challenges are addressed and the potentials of LGA are maximized. The study recommends that there is need to increase the allocation and transparency of funds to LGA for rural development projects and monitor their implementation and outcomes. Also, the researcher recommends that there is need to encourage community participation and empowerment in planning, execution, and evaluation of rural development projects.