CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
In its purest form, democracy is associated with grassroots democracy. People/community-driven engagement in elections, governance, and decision-making is referred to as grassroots democracy. Grassroots democracy can be defined as a tendency to develop political systems that delegate as much decision-making authority to the lowest level of the organization as possible. As a result, a local government is a government at the grassroots level of administration that is responsible for satisfying the people’s unique grassroots needs (Agagu, 1997). The local government system, according to Appadorai (1975), is governed by publicly elected bodies charged with administrative and executive functions in concerns affecting the residents of a particular district or location. Lawal (2000) described local government as “the tier of government closest to the people, vested with particular authorities to exercise control over the affairs of people in its territory.” Local government is a system of local government administration tasked with bringing the people at the grassroots closer to the government. Local government officials in Nigeria operate in an environment where their activities are shielded from media scrutiny due to a high degree of illiteracy, general despair, and political dissatisfaction. The problem is made worse by the federal republic of Nigeria’s constitution, which places local government officials under the crippling and dominating power of state governments, which are only willing to provide this tier of government little autonomy. As a result, the Nigerian Local Government system, which is the third tier of government, has no interaction links with the communities for which it was founded. Many individuals are now questioning whether Nigeria has grassroots democracy. Despite the fact that the government is local, it is administered by elites who are disconnected from the culture of the people (Akinola 2006). As a result, the local administration and the communities that should be partners in progress have come together.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has implemented a number of changes over the years aimed at promoting self-government and encouraging grassroots initiative and leadership. The federal government hopes that these reforms will further cement the principles of participatory democracy and political accountability among all Nigerians, particularly at the grassroots level (Usman 2010). As successive local government councils have badly under-performed in practically all aspects of their responsibility, including youth development, the Federal government’s ambition for quick youth development at the grassroots has become a phantom. Corruption is at an all-time high, as politicians and government officials flaunt their ill-gotten gains in public.
STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
The link between grassroots democracy and youth development in local government administration is the subject of this research. According to the United Nations (1971), youth development is the qualitative changes that occur within the youth population. The process of enhancing the livelihood situations of youngsters in such a way as to bridge the gap between those from affluent backgrounds and those from impoverished backgrounds is referred to as youth development. Youth development, according to Diejemaoh (1973), is a process that involves not only raising youths’ per capita income, but also improving their quality of life as measured by education, food and nutrition, health, recreation, and security.
OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The following are the study’s objectives: 1. Determine the extent to which local government administration engages in grassroots politics. 2. Determine whether grassroots democracy has resulted in the growth of youth in local government administration. 3. To figure out how to integrate grassroots democracy and youth development into local government management.
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What is the extent to which local government administration engages in grassroots politics?
2. Is youth development in local government administration a result of grassroots democracy?
3. What strategies can be used to embed grassroots democracy and youth development in local government administration?
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The following are some of the study’s implications: 1. The findings of this study will inform local government leaders and the broader public on the benefits of grassroots democracy and youth development in municipal administration. 2. This study will add to the body of knowledge in the domain of the impact of personality traits on academic achievement in students, thereby forming the empirical literature for future research in the field.
SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This research will focus on the Oredo Local Government Administration’s grassroots democracy and youth development initiatives.
LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
Financial constraints – A lack of funds impedes the researcher’s efficiency in locating relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as in the data gathering procedure (internet, questionnaire and interview).
Time constraint: The researcher will be working on this subject while also doing other academic tasks. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.
REFERENCE
A.A. Agagu, A.A. Agagu, A.A. Agagu (1997). Readings in Political Science, D. Kolawole (Ed. ), “Local Government.” Dekaal, Ibadan. S. R. Akinola, S. R. Akinola, S. R. Akino (2006). A Constitutional Gateway to Nigerian Democratization: Structural Transformation and Polycentric Governance “Designing Constitutional Arrangements for Democratic Governance in Africa: Challenges and Possibilities” was the title of a presentation presented at a working conference on the topic. 30–31 March 2006, Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA A. Appadorai, A. Appadorai, A. Appadorai (1975). Politics and Its Substance. Oxford University Press, New Delhi V. P. Diejemaoh (1973). “The Role of Physical Policy in Nigerian Rural Development” The proceedings of the Nigerian Economic Society’s annual conference in 1972. A. Jega (2011).
The National Workshop on Study of Democratization at the Grassroots in Nigeria (1999-2010) was held on Tuesday, March 1st, 2011, at the Electoral Institute Conference Room. S. Lawal (2000). “Local Government Administration in Nigeria: A Practical Approach,” in K. Ajayi (Ed. ), Theory and Practice of Local Government, UNAD, Ado Ekiti (1971). “The Integrated Nature of African Rural Development” Uganda’s Agency for Social and Economic Development convened an international conference. G. A. Usman, G. A. Usman, G. A. Usman (2010). Grassroots Democracy and Local Government The Daily Independent newspaper published an article on the 13th of June, 2010. Lagos is the capital of Nigeria.
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