CHAPTER TWO 21 Conceptual Framework/Literature Review Concept of Capacity Building The concept of capacity has been defined as the power to perform, produce or improve. In view of the significance of adequate capacity, capacity building for economic and social development is crucial particularly in the Local sector as a result of its national security implications. Capacity building entails deliberate or crucial endeavours through investment in people, institution and practice to enhance human abilities and institutional capacities in the pursuit of capabilities. The human dimension of capacity building is the process by which a nation develops and increases its human resources capacities through the inculcation of relevant general and technical knowledge, skills and effectiveness to realize set goals which the Human resources has able to provide as a guideline for economic development. On the other hand institutional capacity building involves the development of capacities of organizations and institutions with a view to enable them accomplish that set objectives as a regulator of the industry. Source:- Public management and policy in Nigeria by Andy Same Isichei 2003 (Pp. 137-139) LITERATURE REVIEW: The Role of Local Leaders in Community Development Programmes in Ideato Local Government Area of Imo State: Implication for Extension Policy The study ascertained the role of local leaders in community development programmes in Ideato LGA and derived implications for local leadership as an institution for extension policy. A total of 104 respondents comprising leaders and non-leaders and selected through stratified random sampling technique participated in the study. Percentage and mean scores were utilized in realizing the objectives. Results showed that the most important roles played by local leaders in community development were; decision-making (_= 3.82); liaison between governmental and non-governmental agencies and the community for financial and technical assistance (_= 3.80); monitoring and evaluation of projects (_= 3.78); and fund raising for projects (_= 3.76). Further results showed that the most important (40%) source of information for community development efforts were through the local leaders themselves. Gender was a major issue in community development as result revealed that women were not given equal opportunity for participation in community initiatives like their male counterparts. Incompatibility of government policies with community programmes (_=3.84), insufficient sources of funds (_= 3.83), poor implementation of programmes (_= 3.80), and gender bias (_= 3.77) constituted the major constraints to effective leadership in community development programmes in the area. It was concluded that for sustained success to be achieved in community development efforts, there is an urgent need for extension policy that will formally accommodate the local leaders in all community development initiatives of both governmental and nongovernmental agencies. Keywords: local leaders, role, community development, programmes, extension policy. It is generally accepted that self-sustained rural community development is vital to the economic and social progress of any developing nation like Nigeria. Unless the ways and means of massively accelerating development in the rural areas where over 80% of Nigeria’s population reside (Guardian Newspapers, 2008) our national goal of self sufficiency and control over resources may continue to elude us. Interestingly, the resources already exist, but what is missing is the mastery of the practical wisdom and technology to mobilize them for our overall benefit (leadership). The main argument in favour of community-based development is that communities are deemed to have a better knowledge of the prevailing local conditions (such as who is poor and deserves to be helped, or the characteristics of the local micro-environment), and a better ability to enforce rules, monitor behaviour, and verify actions related to interventions (Platteau and Gaspart, 2003). The true success of a comprehensive economic and social development programmes in Nigeria is primarily dependent upon the extent it contributes to the well-being of those living in rural areas. This is because majority of Nigeria’s population that reside in rural areas, depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. The development that is envisaged is not merely a handout of benefits to people in need, but a process of empowerment where rural communities can acquire mastery over their own destiny through the realization that they, individually and collectively can do something to improve their circumstances. This is a refocusing strategy from waiting on government, oil companies or other organizations/donors to solving their own problems themselves. Community development according to Ajayi (1995) is a social process by which human beings can become more competent to live with and gain some control over local conditions and the changing world. Sustainable community development cannot take place through force or order, but is most likely to happen when all actors participate and share their ideas, visions and responsibilities equally and democratically in steering and implementing their community or village development projects (Ajayi and Otuya, 2006). According to Orapin (1996), one approach in creating sustainable rural development is through giving the main actors (villagers living in the community) an equal opportunity to think and plan their own future. This underpins the need for effective leadership at the local community levels in order to harness the efforts of the rural people towards their own development. Usually, community development programmes aim at creating awareness of rural possibilities; providing information on resources, inputs and infrastructure; deploying technical assistance; skills acquisition and development; increasing literacy levels; improving productivity and productive systems; adapting appropriate technology in agriculture; sensitizing potential volunteers and donors among other things. Ideally, most community development programmes in developing nations focus on peoples’ felt needs and basic amenities such as the provision of good roads, electricity, health clinics, markets, school buildings, and farm settlements among others. These goals can only be achieved through the combined and collective efforts of all those who share the conviction that rural community development must be accorded a high priority in our drive for poverty alleviation and national self-sufficiency. To help bring a rural community to action, it is necessary for individuals and groups to provide good leadership. When good leadership is provided, the people participate voluntarily in the accomplishment of stated objectives. The approach to rural community development is always through local leaders who not only act as pioneers of projects but also help in influencing and motivating their people to action. For any rural community development to be successful, influential local leaders must be involved else they might undermine the progress of such programmes. Therefore, any agency or organization coming up with a development programme for the community must initially “clear” with these influential local leaders, a process otherwise referred to as legitimization. It is saddening to recall that rural community development was neglected by successive governments since colonial rule in Nigeria. For instance, while the colonial government concentrated their development projects such as roads, schools, hospitals, and pipe-borne water around the major cities and built network of roads to areas where they exploited our natural resources, the rural areas were completely left out. The post-independence governments are not equally left out in the practice of rural neglect as only communities whose sons and daughters were in government benefited from development projects otherwise referred to as “national cake”. Even where good development programmes were designed for rural areas, they most of the time failed because there were no scientific and empirical studies of the target rural communities which should guide their implementation. Since the 1980’s, Nigeria and many African countries have experienced a rising wave of revolts and restiveness by some rural communities. Governments have not been able to tackle these crises because there were no reliable baseline studies on the problems of such rural people(Ovwigho and Ifie, 2004). It is estimated that Nigeria has over 25 million farm families who are supposed to be reached by extension workers. Currently, the extension worker farm family ratiois 1:250. This means that 100,000 extension workers have to be at work in the rural communities. Unfortunately, Nigeria cannot boast of one tenth of this number currently. This dearth of extension workers indicate that many farmers are not reached and therefore not exposed to new innovations and technologies in agriculture. Since it will take years to produce the required number of extension workers, and no government can afford to employ the number needed for effective coverage of extension work in the rural communities, the only logical solution will be to utilize the services of local leaders to compliment and accomplish the rural development tasks. It therefore falls on the ruralites to free themselves from the shackles of underdevelopment with or without government supports. The questions now are what roles do local leaders play in community development efforts in the study area? What are the sources of information for community development? What are the gender issues implicated in community development in the area? And what are the constraints to effective leadership in community development programmes in the area. These questions form the focus of our research study. THE ABTRACT STUDY WAS CARRIED OUT IN IDEATO LGA OF IMO STATE NIGERIA IN 2006. IDEATO LGA IS MADE UP OF 24 COMMUNITIES. These communities were stratified into five zones based on geographical location (Table 1). One community was randomly selected from each zone. These include Dikenafai, Ogboka, Akpulu, Ntueke, and Arondizuogu. The population comprised all the leaders and non-leaders in the selected areas without restriction to any other socio-economic characteristic. A stratified random sampling technique was used in selecting the two categories of respondents in each community. In order to select the actual leaders and non-leaders in the communities, a pretest was conducted. In the pretest, the village heads in each community were asked to identify 30 leaders in their respective communities. Subsequently, the identified leaders were equally asked to identify 20 actual leaders in their respective communities. From the later list which was ranked, 12 leaders were finally selected from each community giving a total of 60 leaders from the five zones. On the other hand, the non-leaders comprised any other member of the communities who were not selected in the first or second instance. Twelve non-leaders were selected from a list of 80 farm families provided by the extension agents in the respective communities. This equally gave a total of 60 non-leaders from the five zones. However, valid responses that are suitable for analysis were obtained from only 48 leaders and 56 non-leaders giving a grand total of 104 respondents for the study. A set well-structured and validated interview schedule with items based on the objectives of the study was used for primary data collection. The instrument was pretested for reliability using the split-halve correlation technique and validated by experts in the agricultural extension and rural development profession (the academia, extension administrators and rural development experts). The pre-test shows a reliability coefficient of 0.82 and was significant at 0.00 probability level. According to Bryman (2004), a reliability coefficient of 0.8 and above implies a satisfactory and an acceptable level of internal reliability. Focus group discussions (FGD) were conducted in each zone to make the study more interactive and participatory oriented. Items discussed were centred on the specific objectives of the study. Trained extension agents assisted in the collection of data under the supervision of the researchers. TABLE 1: Distribution of communities in Ideato Local Government Area Zone 1 Zone 2 Zone 3 Zone 4 Zone 5 Amanator Obiohia Obodoukwu Akokwa Arondizuogu Dikenafai Umuchima Akpulu Nkueke Ndiuche Isiekenesi Aku Urualla Ohia Umualaoma Ukuakam Ogboka Isiokpo Osina Umuoboni Umuesili Ughelle Osina Uzii In order to ascertain the various roles played by local leaders in community development programmes, statements bordering on roles of local leaders in community development obtained from extensive literature searches and interviews with experts were structured and used. A four point likert type scale with values of very important = 4; Important = 3; less important = 2; and not important = 1, was used to identify the most important roles played by local leaders in rural community development in the area. A cut-off mark of 2.5 was used to indicate the level of importance of each statement. Statements with values of ≥2.5 indicated an important role as perceived by the respondents while statements with values
Posted on: Sat, 16 Nov 2013 13:09:29 +0000
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