Description
TABLE OF CONTENT
Title page i
Approval page ii
Certification page iii
Dedication iv
Acknowledgement v
Table of content vi
List of tables vii
Abstract viii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study 1
1.2 Statement of the problems 3
1.3 Objective of the study 3
1.4 Research questions 4
1.5 Significance of the study 4
1.6 Scope of the study 5
1.7 Limitation of the study 5
CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1.1 Conceptual Framework 6
2.1.2 Background of the Nigeria Local Government 9
2.1.3 The role of the Local Government as an agent of development 11
2.1.4 A brief history of Enugu East Local Government 15
2.1.5 Concept of Development 16
2.1.6 Public Policy as a tool for Development 18
2.1.7 Development Policy 19
2.1.8 Development Policies in Nigeria Local Government 19
2.1.9 Empirical Review 21
2.1.10 Theoretical Framework 24
CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research design 28
3.2 Area of Study 29
3.3 Sources of Data 29
3.4 Population of Study 30
3.5 Method of Data Collection 31
3.6 Sample and Sampling Technique 31
3.7 Sample Size Determination 32
3.8 Instrument of Data Collection 33
3.9 Validity of Research 34
3.10 Reliability of Instrument 34
3.11 Method of Data Analysis 34
CHAPTER FOUR: DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS
4.1 Data collection and analysis 35
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Summary of findings 50
5.2 Conclusion 50
5.3 Recommendations 51
Reference 52
Appendix 55
Questionnaire 56
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The local government has most often been described by many authors and scholars as the government at the grass root because it is the closest to the people in comparison to the state and Federal government. The existence of this tier of government in Nigeria dates back to the activities of the British colonialist and their quest to bring down government closer to the local people in other to maintain law and order as it where in those days. As Olasupo and Fayomi (2012) pointed that “prior to independence and the prolonged civil war, Nigerian local government system was essentially de-concentrative but in 1976, it became devolved and “should do precisely what the word government implies i.e., governing at the grassroots or local level” Today, the local government have metamorphosed in to a more sophisticated administrative institution charged with the responsibility to perform not only administrative duties, but also engage in the development of the local area in which it is mapped out to serve.
The importance of local government is a function of its ability to generate sense of belongingness, safety and satisfaction among its populace. All forms of government, regimes or political systems have so far ensured the attainment of this goal. Such strategy for ensuring national development and political efficacy is found in the concept and Practice of local government. Whatever is the mode of government; local government has been essentially regarded as the path to, and guarantor of, national integration, administration and development (Omatsola, 2011). To achieve the speedy development of the local government, a well articulated action plan in the form of developmental public policies/ programs must be enthroned. Public policy guides and determines present and future public decisions as well as private individual or private business institutional actions, decisions or behavior.
In essence, a public policy determines the activities of government and given private institutions in relation to providing services designed to solve a given problem (Ugwuanyi and Chukwuemeka, 2013). Being an administrative/ governing institution, the local government through the policy making process, articulates the developmental needs of the people and then try to use the resources available to them to accomplish these policies.
Over time, it has become glaring to administrators and scholars that the challenge of policies in most developing nations of the world and Nigeria as well has remained the divergence between policy intent and policy outcome. This is as a result of the gap in implementation. In the words of Dialoke,Ukah and Maduagwuna (2017) Implementation gap manifests in the widening of the distance between stated policy goals and the realization of such planned goals.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1.1 Conceptual Framework
The conceptualization of the term “local government” has been problematic; this is because there is no unanimous acceptable definition of local government among the scholars of local government and public administration. However, Kyenge (2013),quoted in Adalonu (2015) posits that the concept of local government has been given various definitions by various scholars but no matter how differently the concept is defined, it focuses on the transfer of political powers to local areas by involving the inhabitants in the provision of basic needs in their respective communities.
At this juncture, it is imperative to note the definitions of some of these scholars in the subject matter. Specifically, local government is a unit of government below the central, regional or state levels established by law to exercise political authority through a representative council within a defined geographical area. Olisa, et al 1990 quoted in (Chukwuemeka, Ugwuanyi, Ndubuisi-Okolo & Onuoha, 2014). Appadorai (1975) defines local government as government by popularly elected bodies’ charged with administration and executive duties in matters concerning the inhabitants of a particular district or place.
As noted in the works of Adeyemi (2012), Achimugu, Stephen & Agboni (2013), Chukwuemeka et al., (2014), the Nigeria 1976 Guideline for Local Government Reform defines local government as “Government at the local level established by law to exercise specific powers within defined area and to initiate and direct the provision of services and to determine and implement projects so as to complement the activities of the state and federal government in their areas, and to ensure that local initiative and response to local needs and conditions are maximized.”
The United Nations Office for Public Administration quoted in Ola and Tonwe (2009), Ubani (2010), Achimugu, Stephen & Agboni (2013) defines local government as thus: “A political subdivision of a nation or (in a federal system) state, which is constituted by law and has substantial control of local affairs, including the powers to impose taxes or to exact labor for prescribed purposes. The governing body of such an entity is elected or otherwise locally selected.
In addition, local government is seen as a system of government whereby the state allows the establishment of local units of government with powers and authority to make local decisions on matters that affect the local communities and to mobilize local resources for implementation or execution of the decisions made (Eboh & Diejomaoh, 2010). The aforementioned definitions by various scholars above clearly show that local government is a multi-dimensional concept.
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