ASSESSMENT OF THE ROLE OF POLITICAL MOBILIZATION ON COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1  Background of the Study

The provision of amenities and facilities in both rural and urban areas has attracted the attention of every government in Nigeria, whether military or civilian. Party rulers in the past correctly understood that their efforts to address the needs of the populace were largely responsible for the success of their parties at the polls. Since each party in power fought to win over the electorate, a thorough evaluation of the performance of the previous civilian regime will show that, despite our dissatisfaction with their records, there was a significant increase in the number of healthcare facilities, educational institutions, etc. in every state. Every administration in Nigeria, military or civilian, has demonstrated a sizable level of interest in providing amenities, since military governments here, both past and present, have attempted to use this enthusiasm to support their claim to power. Even in cases where they restrict facility construction, they swiftly provide a justification, claiming that it is an effort to maximize the use of the ones that are already in place for the benefit of everybody. Yet as Wiseman properly argued, “no polity can fulfil the aims of society unless it can collect from it the persons whereby the goals are to be attained”. The government cannot provide amenities and facilities or maintain them without working together with the populace. As a result, records show that public and private entities frequently collaborate to build infrastructure such as roads, hospitals, and schools. The quantity and type of ongoing development projects in this nation allow us to gauge the level of civic engagement and, consequently, political mobilization. Hence, community development must be viewed as an integral aspect of the modern political system. We cannot, however, take community involvement in community development for granted for a number of reasons. The peasant population, which is the target audience, frequently believes that it is the government’s job to provide these services, as we will demonstrate later. So, it is essential to educate children so that they have the proper perspective on governance. Second, a government’s ability to extract resources is heavily influenced by how well it performs. If the populace is not persuaded that their taxes would be used for their wellbeing, paying taxes and performing other civic duties would be expensive for the government to accomplish. The organization that the government uses to mobilize citizens for community development is another issue. The municipal government can help in this situation. It is ultimately the local government’s job to organize the community for participation in development programs, either independently or jointly with the government, as it is the branch of government closest to the people. Only a well-organized and responsible system of government is capable of successfully carrying out this crucial task. When we talk about an accountable government, we mean one that is answerable to the people. It means a sort of representative democracy that enables the governed to actively participate in all decision-making processes and to hold their representatives accountable. Hence, mobilization is a crucial issue in community development because it mostly involves attitudes and orientations. This is why those studying political mobilization, such as Majhemot Diop and afeje, must first attempt to determine the social classes present in a given environment in order to understand how political inclinations vary with classes. For instance, the proleteriat and petit bourgeoisie have different political philosophies. and various tactics must be used to inspire them to participate in social revolution. In conclusion, we note that community development must be viewed as an essential tactic for the change of rural communities. Yet, the mobilization of the populace to provide financial or in-kind support for development programs is essential to its success. Obviously, whether or not the populace views the government as being responsible determines how ready and eager they are to engage.

So, if the public’s cooperation is to be obtained, a meaningful and compelling program of activities is required. The agency’s nature, which will carry out the mobilization process, is another issue. It makes sense that the agency won’t succeed until it can ingratiate itself into society and win over the populace. We will concentrate our attention on these difficulties throughout this activity.

Harter (1998) asserts that community development is successful when the project’s design calls for the identification of felt needs and when its goals are empowerment and capacity building. Beneficiaries must communicate with one another and interact in order for the project to be implemented. Since most communities are not homogenous, Ejiogu (2001) emphasizes the importance of accounting for variances in age, ethnicity, educational attainment, and religious grouping. The notion that the intended recipients of a development program or project must participate in the decision-making process at every stage of the program, including the identification of the problem, planning, implementation, and evaluation, is generally acknowledged to be the central tenet of the community development debate (Oshodi & Imasuen, 2008). Anyanwu (1992) contends that the idea of community development, which holds that whatever is done to better the welfare of the people, must attempt to elicit the excitement and wholehearted engagement of such people, is profoundly ingrained with the notion of community-based participation.

Understanding that such development efforts cannot take place in a vacuum adds another dimension to this participatory development process. The

The people’s traditions, system of governance, place of worship, social structure, and source of power all call for special attention. The procedures involved in community development activities depend heavily on participation. It is essential because it provides knowledge about locating community resources, carrying out development programs, and maintaining already-existing infrastructure (Scales, Benson, Leffert & Blyth, 2000). It promotes collectivism, which implies group ownership of the undertaking. No development can occur in a vacuum, hence it is essential to understand how socioeconomic issues affect participation rates. In addition, the transition from a “top down” growth model of development to a “bottom up” basic needs approach has made it urgently necessary to both elaborate this participation process and take into account the socio-cultural components of the community (Eccles & Gootman, 2002). So, taking into account the socioeconomic elements impacting citizen engagement in community development activities becomes the exercise’s main aim.

1.2  Statement of research problem

In Nigeria, both military and civilian governments have demonstrated a sizable level of interest in the provision of amenities and facilities in both rural and urban areas. Party governments in the past correctly recognized that their efforts to address the demands of the populace were a major factor in the success of their parties at the polls. In light of this, a thorough evaluation of the accomplishments of the previous civilian regime will show that, despite our dissatisfaction with their performance, there was a significant increase in the number of healthcare facilities, educational institutions, etc. in every State as each party in power fought to win over the electorate. The military governments in this nation, both past and present, have attempted to use concern for social welfare as a justification for their claim to power. Even in cases where they restrict facility expansion, they swiftly provide a justification, claiming that it is an effort to maximize the use of the ones that already exist in the best interests of all. the issue of the agency’s nature that will carry out the mobilization process.

1.3  Objectives of the study

The following are the study’s main goals:

1. To understand the function of local government mobilization in Nigerian community development

2. To understand how communities work together and support the government’s planned development project

3. To know how to boost political mobilization in other for there to be significant development in communities.

1.4  Research questions

1. Is local government involved in the development and mobilization of communities?

2. Do communities work together and offer assistance when choosing a development project to undertake?

3. Are you of the opinion that community development can be improved?

1.5  Significance of the study

This study is important because community development and political mobilization go hand in hand and are mutually dependent. and development takes time; it does not occur overnight.

The results of this study will surely give government agencies, marriage therapists, people, nongovernmental organizations, and academia the information they need.

1.6  Scope of the study

This study aims to investigate the function of community development and political mobilization in Nigeria. As a result, the focus of this study is the Igbekebo community in Ondo state’s Ese-Odo local government region.

1.7  Limitations of the study

The following are some of the variables that limited this study:

With the current state of the economy, financial restrictions are unavoidable. due to a shortage of funding available to the researchers to purchase supplies and print questionnaires. Some of the communities that have been the target of banditry activities could not be visited.

The issue of inadequate data exists in emerging nations like Nigeria.

Time is a factor that also poses limitations because the researcher must juggle writing the research and doing other academic work, which is uncomfortable.

1.8  Operational definition of terms

The part played by an actor in a play, a movie,

Political: having to do with a nation’s government or public affairs.

Mobilization is the process through which a nation or its government gets its soldiers ready for active duty.

A community is a collection of individuals who share a common attribute or reside in the same area.

Development: a collection of people who reside in the same area or share a certain trait.

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