EFFECT OF GOVERNMENT INTERVENTION STRATEGIES ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The major characteristic of the developing countries is the increasing disparity between the urban and rural area. The rural areas of Nigeria are blessed with a lot of people whose major occupation is agriculture and related activities. Because the dwellers are predominantly illiterates, most rural areas not focused when it comes to development project and programmes. However, in recruit times, the governments (feral, state and local) have been doing a lot in the development of the rural areas so that the rural dwellers are not completely left out in the scheme of things. The low level of infrastructure and human capital development of these programmes and schemes to achieve the desire objective. The decay and worsening rural condition and the attentions attendant increasing rural made in the past to effect rural development, the conditions of the rural dwellers have not improved; rather they have further deteriorated (Ademiluyi, 2000).
A radical change in priorities and in attitudes toward the rural sector as economic social necessity because the rural dwellers has also contributed in the nations development through direct and indirect location of rural people yet they have benefited little or nothing from economic development activities. There is also the erroneous misconception by successive governments that rural development is synonymous with agriculture development did not yield the meaningful change hence the need to include provision of modern infrastructure, primary health care, food and shelter, employment opportunities, recreational facilities, affordable and compulsory primary and secondary education, loans and other incentives as part of rural development for the benefits of rural dwellers.
This gap has its roots in the neo-classical economic theories which pressured that development can be accelerated by concentrating investment in the cities and that rural poverty will be ameliorated by the trickle down of benefits from the urban industrial growth. With growth centered strategy, the developing countries have continued to witness imbalances in the living conditions between the urban and rural dwellers. Consequently, development theories over years have been searching for alternative strategies that would not only accelerate growth but also spend the benefits of development of the rural areas (Umebale, 2006).
The World Bank indicates that over 60 percent of Nigerian population live in rural area with grossly underdeveloped and about two third of this group the extremely poor (UNDP, 2000) found out that an increasing number of Nigerians were living in and based in the rural area where poverty is higher than in urban area. Also it has been shown that there are major gains to be made in focusing on development projects for the rural area. Many governments of Nigeria in the past have engaged in development of rural areas. Unfortunately, some of these programs had faulty background, riddled with corruption, no political will to do what is right and follow programme to a logical conclusion. In some cases the programmes ended up enriching the political and military oligarchy with little or no benefit for the rural people (Okeke, 2008). Maduagwu (2007) stated that Nigeria has over this year’s embarked on many rural development programmes but majority of these have not had appreciable impact.
Various efforts have been made by government, local communities, voluntary and international organizations to transform rural communities. One of the strategies being employed is best carried out under the umbrella of community development associations to provide the needs of communities in the areas of welfare service, environmental sanitation, health services and provision of other infrastructures to make life meaningful for them. The Community Development Association (CDA) comprise of people living within a given locality or community with the sole aim of identifying their felt needs and agreeing on one way means towards the realization of such identified need. To address the challenges of rural development in Nigeria has put several agencies in the place, with an objective to uplift the living conditions of the rural people, in line with the United Nation Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of having the proportion of people living in poverty by 2015. However, studies had shown that most of these measures seem not to be working particularly in rural areas because their impact is not wide felt and worse still their existence is unknown in the vast proportion of the country rural area (Olayemi 2001, Yusuf 2000 and Iro 2008).
- Statement of the Problem
The rural of Nigeria are inhabitant by the link of the nation population; they serves as the base for the production of food and other agriculture product. They are also the major sources of capital formation for the country and a principal market for domestic manufactures. In general terms, the rural areas engage in primary activities that form the foundation for any economic development. Yet despite the importance attached to the rural areas, they are not attractive to live in. There is absence of infrastructure, which improves the quality of life such as potable water, schools, electricity, health centers and good roads which affect their standard of living.
An attempt at solving the rural problems has been the concern of the government over years and many agencies have been established to that effect. Such as Operation Feed the Nation (OFN); The Nation Accelerated Food Production Programmes (NAPFF) and the Directorate for Foods, Roads and Rural Infrastructures (DFRRI) at the federal levels as well as the state government such as The Community and Social Development in Oyo State. However, majority of the projects are either abandoned or misused because they have faculty background and riddled with corruption with no political will to do what is right and follow up such programs to logical conclusion. Therefore this study intended to examine the effect of government interventions on rural development projects.
1.3 Objective of the Study
The main objective of the study is to examine the effect of government intervention strategies on rural development projects
The specific objectives are to:
- Find out specific rural intervention projects embarked upon Oyo State.
- Examine the effect of government project maintaining on rural community projects
- Examine the effects of government founding on rural development project
- Examine the effect of government provision of materials on rural development project.
- Make recommendation on how the government can effectively develop the rural areas and improve the overall wellbeing of dwellers.
1.4 Significance of the Study
The study is valuable to the government especially government agencies such as the ministry of local government in designing effective strategies to develop the rural areas thereby creating for nation development. The study also assist serve as an addition to practical knowledge for professionals like social workers, agric extension, personnel and other stake holders on appropriate methods to employ in order to improve the wellbeing of the rural dwellers. This study further highlight factors responsible for poor data quality and proffer recommendation towards their solutions as well as encouraged private infrastructural development of the rural area. Finally, it is envisage that this study may be useful for other researchers who are in need of literature and method of improving upon their findings further.
1.5 Scope of the Study
This study is limited to the effect of government intervention on rural development on rural development project in selected local government area Oyo Sate. This study covered non-governmental organization, agencies and government policies on rural development projects.
1.6 Operational Definition of Terms
Government intervention: are governments supports which may be inform of money or material. It also includes establishment and monitoring of development projects that are meant for the people living in the rural area.
Rural development: refers to the process to the process of improving the quality of life and economic wellbeing of people living in relatively isolated and sparely populated areas. It has traditionally centered on exploitation of land intensive natural resources such as agriculture and forestry.
Development project: these are projects that government embarked upon to make life more meaningful for people living in the rural.
Community project: refers to term applied to any community-based project. This covers a wide variety of different areas within a community or a group of networking entities .Projects can cover almost anything, including the most obvious section of concern to any community, the welfare element.
Infrastructural development: this is the provision of major infrastructures like electricity, good roads and portable water for the use of people living in the rural area.
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