LOCAL GOVERNMNET AS AN AGENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: AN APPRAISAL

Abstract

One of the objectives of Local Government Administration in Nigeria is to encourage development at grassroots. It is important to recognise that in Nigeria, Local Goverenment Institutions are not accorded exclusive responsibilty for rural development. The development of rural areas is a shared responsibility of the Federal, State and Local Structures of Government. Economic planning experts have tended to narrow interpretation of development, in terms of gross national products without due recognition of the net welfare values it generates. It is assumed that if there is expansion in agaricultural production, the quality of life of the rural sector will improve yet growth in agricultural productivity does not necessarily lead to improved rural welfare. Thus, the expropriation of the surplus values of the farmers' labour rather than the enhancement of rural welfare has been one major outcome of comtemporary development model. This paper will address the synergy of these efforts, their shortcomings and proffer solutions to how to make it responsive to the needs of the rural communities it is meant to serve.