The relevance of Local Government Administration cannot be over emphasized. Local government is an essential arm of government that is directly responsible for the development of the rural areas.
Whenever a local council failed to usher in the needed development into the rural towns for the ultimate purpose of community development twists the relevance of its existence. The bulk of the populace in a country such as Nigeria lives in the rural community.
Beside this the natural resources that feed the nation also come from the rural communities. It is very pertinent to note that most of the cities that enjoying modern developmental amenities, facilities and infrastructural do not have resources that contribute to the growth of the country. Bigger cities such as Port Harcourt, Lagos, Abuja and several others have nothing to offer to tackle the socio-economic challenges of Nigeria. It is very sad that proceeds from natural resources tapped from the rural communities are used to develop these cities without minding the growth of the host communities.
Community development is very essential, because according United Nations (UN), it ‘integrates the rural communities into the life of the nation and to enable them to contribute fully to national progress”.
Sadly, the huge allocations accrue to the local governments’ confer from the federation account do not reflect the development of the rural communities. Council administrators live in mansions, while the rural dwellers passing through excruciating pains to make ends meet.
The council chairmen and their councilors should channel funds that meant for the development of their respective councils towards the right avenues to put smiles on the faces of the rural dwellers.
If the local towns and villages are properly developed it would check the menace of rural-urban drift. The rural-urban migration is a social problem facing community developers. This problem could only be solved when the council administrators give proper attention to the developmental pattern of the rural areas by providing social amenities, provision of soft loans to the rural dwellers, construction of access roads, building of storages facilities amongst others. ###
Damiete West
08037502931
wdamiete@yahoo.com
