ABSTRACT
This
study focused on the Constraints of Effective Development Policy-Making in
Nigeria Local Governments (A Study of Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu
State).The pace at which development in the local government can be realized is
hinged essentially on the ability of the government to formulate appropriate
and effective development policies. Determining the reasons why development
policies are hardly achieved in the local government formed the main objective
of the study. The literature review was anchored on the Hybrid theory. In
carrying out this study, the descriptive research design was adopted. The
population of the study was 562 (five hundred and sixty two) as at April, 2018
out of which the sample size of 233(two hundred and thirty three) was derived
using the Yamane’s formula. Stratified random sampling technique was adopted in
determining the number of questionnaire administered to respondents. Both the
primary and secondary sources of data were used for data collection. Data were
gathered for the study with a well structured 5 point Likert scale
questionnaire. The tool used for data analysis was simple percentage. The basic
finding is that there exists, indeed, some factors that constitute serious
obstacles to effective development policy making in Nigeria local governments,
one of which is the varying levels of interference from politicians and state
government. The study concluded that interference from the state government
influences effective development-policy making in the local government. The
study recommended that the local government should be allowed to function more
independently with little or no interference to ensure effective development
policy-making.
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background
of the Study
The
local government has most often been described by many authors and scholars as
the government at the grass root because it is the closest to the people in
comparison to the state and Federal government. The existence of this tier of
government in Nigeria dates back to the
activities of the British colonialist and their quest to bring down government
closer to the local people in other to maintain law and order as it where in
those days. As Olasupo and Fayomi (2012)
pointed that “prior to independence and the prolonged civil war, Nigerian local
government system was essentially de-concentrative but in 1976, it became
devolved and “should do precisely what the word government implies i.e.,
governing at the grassroots or local level” Today, the local government have
metamorphosed in to a more sophisticated administrative institution charged
with the responsibility to perform not only administrative duties, but also
engage in the development of the local area in which it is mapped out to serve.
The importance of local government is a function of its ability to generate
sense of belongingness, safety and satisfaction among its populace. All forms of government, regimes or political systems
have so far ensured the attainment of this goal. Such strategy for ensuring national
development and political efficacy is found in the concept and Practice of
local government. Whatever is the mode of government; local government has been
essentially regarded as the path to, and guarantor of, national integration, administration
and development (Omatsola, 2011). To achieve the speedy development of the
local government, a well articulated action plan in the form of developmental
public policies/ programs must be enthroned. Public policy guides and
determines present and future public decisions as well as private individual or
private business institutional actions, decisions or behavior. In essence, a public policy determines the
activities of government and given private institutions in relation to providing
services designed to solve a given problem (Ugwuanyi and Chukwuemeka, 2013). Being
an administrative/ governing institution,
the local government through the policy making process, articulates the
developmental needs of the people and then try to use the resources available
to them to accomplish these policies. Over time, it has become glaring to
administrators and scholars that the challenge of policies in most developing
nations of the world and Nigeria as well has remained the divergence between
policy intent and policy outcome. This is as a result of the gap in
implementation. In the words of Dialoke,Ukah and Maduagwuna (2017) Implementation
gap manifests in the widening of the distance between stated policy goals and
the realization of such planned goals. The implementation gap from policy
formulation in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized as successive governments make
policies that are not realizable throughout their tenure.
It is very clear from records that Nigeria
over the years has initiated well articulated developmental, economic and
social policies, intended to launch the nation on the path of meaningful
development.
1.2
Statement
of the Problem
The
importance of well articulated development policy/ policies for the local
government in Nigeria can never be over emphasized. It is a sene qua non for
the achievement of rural development and growth. The problems of most
development policy no matter how good they are on paper are that they most
often do not address the need of the people for whom those policies were
intended to affect. This could be as a result of a proper need analysis and articulation
by policy makers; who most often concern themselves with politics rather than
policy outputs. On the other hand, most development policies are usually too
numerous but with little technical knowhow on how to bring them to fruition. The
last but not the least as identified is the dwindling financial muscles with
which to implement development programmes in the light of competing needs.
1.3
Objectives
of the Study
The general objective of this study was to examine
the constraints on effective development policy making in Nigerian local
governments.
Consequently, the specific objectives which
this study sought to unravel were: To
1.
Ascertain the reason as to why the
developmental needs of Enugu East local government are hardly achieved,
2.
unravel how the unavailability of
skilled human resources have impacted the execution of development policies in
Enugu East local government
3.
determine how the financial resources for
implementation of development policies in Enugu East local government can be
enhanced.
1.4
Research
Questions
1. Why
is it that the developmental needs of Enugu East local government are hardly
achieved?
2. How
have the unavailability of skilled human resources impacted the execution of
development policies in Enugu East local government?
3. How
can the financial resources for implementation of development policies in Enugu
East local government be enhanced?
1.5
significance
of the study
The
aim of this work like every other research endeavor is to contribute
meaningfully to the bulk of extant knowledge on the subject matter. This work
will help students have a better understanding of the subject matter. On the
other hand, this work will be of great benefit to decision makers/ policy
makers as turbulent challenges facing the success of developmental policy
making will be unraveled and curative/preventive solutions proffered.
1.6 Scope of the study
This
work sought to explore the constraints on effective development policy making
in Nigeria local governments. It is mainly focused on Enugu East local
government area of Enugu state.
1.7 Limitation of the
study
Poor
attitude of respondents: This was the greatest challenge
the researcher encountered as some of the respondents were reluctant to answer
the questions addressed to them.
Finance:
This is one of the major problems that face every researcher. Due to level of
financial status of the researcher, the cost of acquiring the necessary
information of the write up was affected.
Time:
This was a great challenge as the researcher combined the research work with
course work.
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