Abstract
The rural areas of Geiri LGA of Adamawa State, Nigeria are inhabited by the bulk of the population. They serve as the base for the production of food and fiber and principal market for domestic manufactures. This relevance informed the government to adopt several strategies in the past to transform the sector. This study examines the impact of community based rural development agency on rural development. The rural people have decided to form community based rural development agency as a strategy for survival. This study therefore examines the nature, activities and impact of the CBRDAs on rural life and environment. The study concludes that the government should adopt and utilize the CBRDAs as a national strategy for rural development since they have worked well for the rural populace but failed to develop the sector due to certain constraints.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
It is well known that the rural areas are very important to the nation of Nigeria. Over 75% of the population resides there. The rural areas serve as the base for the production of food and fibre. Agriculture which is the back bone of the economy is rooted there. They are also major sources of capital formation for the country and principal markets for domestic manufactures (Famoriyo, 1996). Despite this relevance, the rural areas are yet to experience development. This does not mean that the rural areas have been totally neglected by previous administrations in Nigeria in their planning efforts and programmes. Several efforts in the past were made to develop the rural areas. These efforts started even before independence to date but the aim is yet to be achieved. All the programmes were formulated and implemented by the government using top bottom approach. Ever since Nigeria gained independence in 1960 from the British colonial government rural or community development has been declared a priority by the successive governments, be it civilian or military. In this regard, several organizations, institutions and agencies have been set up to undertake and monitor the complicated process of nation-building, development and integration. This post-colonial orientation is a deviation from the erstwhile colonial arrangement whereby development efforts in all spheres were concentrated in the urban areas to the neglect of rural areas. Hence, projects such as the construction of roads, bridges, schools, railway lines, air trip, ports and marketing boards, among others, were all aimed at opening the rural areas as a link for the easy exploitation of export raw materials. However, the declared objectives and policy statements of various governments in Nigeria have been mere rhetoric and smoke-screens intended not only to diffuse criticisms but to hide what the whole thing has been i.e. a systematic exploitation and dehumanization of the rural dwellers. In spite of this criticism, there is no doubt that the Nigerian government and its leaders have not only recognized the fact of the important roles which the rural sector plays in the generation of national wealth but also that over 70% of Nigerians live in rural areas. It is to be noted that Nigeria is not alone in the recognition of these facts. Leaders of the developing countries in Africa have also come to accept the development of rural areas as a sine qua non for national development. In Nigeria, over the years the stated objectives and strategies of rural and community development have been pronounced by policy makers and those concerned with the issue of development. But there still exist enormous gap between policy formulation and implementation and the reality of the level of the development of the rural populace. For example, several approaches in terms of rural development planning and execution have been adopted. Some of these included the creation of states, local government areas, mobilization of people for local participation in planning and implementation of community development projects in order to create new centres of development, and thus stem the drift from rural to urban areas. A look at the National Development plans of Nigeria from 1975-1985 and other rural development programmes like Operation Feed the Nation (OFN), Green Revolution, River Basin Development Authorities, Agricultural Development Projects and many others have emphasized the need to tackle the problem of rural under-development. On the part of government therefore there is the realization that there is need to bring the neglected rural areas into the mainstream of national development. This paper advocates government's adoption and utilization of CBRDAs as an alternative strategy. This is because CBRDAs are grassroot-based, formed by the rural people themselves based on their felt needs, CBRDAs' programmes or projects are identified, established, implemented, coordinated, maintained and supervised by the people themselves. Also, most existing CBRDAs in the country have succeeded in their own little way in programmes implementation but with constraints. They are capable of transforming the rural areas if those constraints are mitigated by government.
- STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The thrust of this study therefore is to examine the pattern of rural and community development agency in Nigeria, especially in those areas which have the greatest impact on the lives of rural dwellers. The community based rural development agency has derailed from her objectives and has become a political instrument that benefit from the chaos and insecurity ravaging this rural community. Secondly, this development agencies has been geared towards their exploitation and impoverishment despite their enormous contribution to national wealth and the fact that over 70% of Nigerians live in the country-side. It is further argued that the bane of Nigeria’s development process is the neo-colonial, dependent economic system operating in the country. This system breeds mass poverty and deprivation, social unrest and political instability like the types Nigeria is facing today-uprising of Boko Haram, ethnic militia, armed robberies, and kidnappings, among others. It is in view of the above that the study becomes pertinent.
- OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The study has one main objective which is sub-divided into general objective and specific objective, the general objective is to examine the impact of community based rural development agency on rural development in Girei LGA of Adamawa state, the specific objectives are;
- To examine the impact of community based rural development agency on rural development
- To ascertain if there is any significant relationship between community based rural development agency and improvement on the standard of living of rural dwellers
- To examine the role of community based rural development agency in fostering community growth and development
- To proffer suggested solution to the identified problems
- RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following research questions were formulated by the researcher to aid the completion of the study;
- Does community based rural development agency have any impact on rural development?
- Is there any significant relationship between community based rural development agency and improvement on the standard of living of rural dwellers?
- Does the activities of community based rural development agency foster community growth and development in Girei LGA?
- RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
The following research hypotheses were formulated by the researcher to aid the completion of the study;
