ABSTRACT
The study assessed the role performance of local government councils in agricultural development in southeast Nigeria.
Specifically, the study was designed to: ascertain the expectations of LGCs agriculture departments as perceived by LG agriculture/veterinary department staff and farmers, determine agricultural role achievements of LGCs as perceived by LG staff and farmers.
Ascertain LGs’ funding for agriculture from 2007 to 2011, identify linkages that exist between farmers, LGCs, and agricultural development agencies/projects/such as ADP, CADP, etc. and identify factors that militate against the performance of LGCs in agricultural development.
Four states namely: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, and Enugu were used for the study. Structured Interview schedule/self-administered questionnaire, and oral interview were used for data collection. Secondary data were collected from the annual budget and expenditure profiles of the LGCs.
They used only 324 copies of the for analysis. Data on personal characteristics were presented using percentages, mean scores, and standard deviation.
A five-point Likert-type scale was used to measure role achievement; four-point and three-point scales were used to measure role expectation and factors inhibiting role performance of LGCs, respectively. The decision points of the mean scores were ≥ 3.0, ≥ 2.5, and ≥ 2.0, respectively.
Linkages between LGCs, farmers, and agricultural programs were presented in percentage. Student’s t-test was used to test for differences between the opinions of LG staff and farmers on LGCs’ role expectations and achievements, while factors inhibiting role performance of LGCs were further subjected to factor analysis.
A one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test differences in fund allocations among the four states at a 5% probability level. The majority (80.4%) of the farmers were literate and about 34% completed higher education. A considerable percentage (57.2%) of farmers was male while 53.0% of the staff was female.
Many (54.1%) of the staff obtained degree certificates (B.Sc/HND and M.Sc/Ph.D). There was general inadequacy of a sufficient number of trained staff in the agriculture departments of most of the LGs.
The mean scores of the respondents on role expectation were the provision of water scheme (LG staff; =2.3, farmers; =2.6), road network (LG staff; ̅=2.6, farmers; ̅=2.7), and tractors (LG staff; =2.2, farmers; =2.5).
The mean scores on role achievement by LGCs were the provision of processing plants (LG staff; =3.7, farmers; =2.1), bore-holes (LG staff =4.1, farmers; =2.3). There were significant differences (p≤ 0.05) between LG staff and farmers’ perception on expected agricultural roles and role achievement of LGCs.
The means of the fund allocation varied significantly (p≤ 0.05) among the four states. Small percentages of funds allocated to LGs were allocated to the agriculture department. Over the five-years period, mean fund allocation for agriculture development was highest in Abia State ( =N81,812,408.60) and lowest in Ebonyi State ( =N1,953,333.20).
Respondents indicated that there were linkages between LGCs and RTEP in the training of staff (65.9%), NSPFS in fund transfer (53.6%), and Fadama III Project in the joint diagnosis of problems (43.0%).
Factors militating against LGCs’ performance were corrupt practices among management ( ̅ =2.6), lack of LG autonomy ( ̅ = 2.5), inadequate fund allocation ( ̅ =2.8), and poor attitude to work among staff ( ̅ =2.8). Three constraint factors were identified, namely, managerial, financial, and logistic as constraints to the effective performance of LGCs.
It was recommended that there should be of farmers’ associations in LGs’ agriculture/veterinary departments who will be involved in the planning of agricultural interventions that will address farmers’ felt needs.
It was also that there is a need for the provision of adequate funds for agricultural development activities to LGCs for improved agricultural production in LGAs among others.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page … … … … … … … … i
Approval page … … … … … … … … … … ii
Certification … … … … … … … … iii
Dedication … … … … … … … … iv
Acknowledgement… … … … … … … … v
Table of contents … … … … … … … vi
List of tables … … … … … … … … ix
List of figures … … … … … … … … xi
Abstract … … … … … … … … xii
CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background information … … … … … 1
1.2 Problem statement … … … … … … 4
1.3 Purpose of the study … … … … … … 6
1.4 Hypotheses … … … … … … … 6
1.5 Significant of the study … … … … … 7
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 Historical concept of local government in Nigeria … … 8
2.2 Local government councils and rural/agricultural development in Nigeria … 14
2.3 Funding of local government in Nigeria … … … 19
2.4 Linkages between local governments and agricultural projects, programs… 24
2.5 Factors that militate against the performances of LGCs in agricultural … 29
and rural development
2.6 Theoretical framework … … … … … 33
2.7 Conceptual framework … … … … … … … 43
2.8 Summary of literature … … … … … … … 44
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY
3.1 Study area … … … … … … … … … 46
3.2 Population and sampling … … … … … … … 46
3.3 Data collection … … … … … … … … 49
3.4 Measurement of variables … … … … … … … 50
3.5 Data analysis … … … … … … … … … 53
CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
4.1 Personal and economic characteristics of local government staff of … … 54
agriculture/veterinary department
4.2 Expected number and the actual number of staff available in LG … … 58
agriculture/veterinary departments of LGs in southeast Nigeria
4.3 Personal characteristics of farmers … … … … … … 60
4.4 Role expectations of local government councils in agricultural development 62
4.4.1 Difference in staff and farmers’ perception of role expectations
of local government councils in agricultural development … … … … … 65
4.4.2 Comparison of the states in role expectations of local government councils in agricultural
development … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … 67
4.5 Role achievement of local government councils in agricultural development … 69
4.5.1 Difference in staff and farmers’ perception of role achievement of local
government councils in agricultural development … … … …. …. … 72
4.5.2 Comparison of the states in role achievement of local government councils’
agricultural development … … … … … … … … … … … 74
4.6 Funding of agricultural development in the local governments of … … 76
southeast Nigeria
4.6.1 Comparison of percentage of fund allocations to state from 2008 to 2011 … 78
4.6.2 Differences in amounts allocated and actual spending … … … 79
4.7 Linkages between local government councils, farmers, and agricultural
development agencies/programmes/projects … … … … … … … … 80
4.8 Factors inhibiting role performance of local government councils in
agricultural development … … … … … … … … … … … … 83
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATIONS
5.1 Summary … … … … … … … … … 88
5.2 Conclusion … … … … … … … … … 91
5.3 Recommendations … … … … … … … … 91
REFERENCES … … … … … … … … 93
APPENDIX … … … … … … … … … 99
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background information
Local government (LG) administration is a government at the grassroots level of administration meant for meeting the peculiar grassroots needs of the people (Arowolo, 2008). The earliest type of (LG) administration existed in the form of clan and village meetings (Oviasuyi, Idada, and Isiraojie, 2010).
Regardless of nomenclature, LG is a creation of British colonial rule in Nigeria. It has over time experienced changes in name, structure, and composition.
Olanipekun (1988) states that the present LG system in Nigeria started with the 1976 LG reforms which aimed at restructuring the LG administration in conformity with modern society, and at best to make Nigeria’s LG administration an ideal in Africa.
Following the 1976 reforms, LG became recognized as a tier of government entitled to a share of national revenue consequent on its constitutionally allocated functions (Imuetinyan, 2002).
According to the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN), (1976), the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria provides in section 7 (1) – (6) for the establishment of the local government system as the third tier of government in Nigeria as well as provides for powers,
functions, composition, and finances of the local government councils (LGCs) (which is the functional body of the LG system) to be established thereof. Thus, Nigeria operates three tiers of government, federal, state, and local government.
REFERENCES
Abia State-Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.htm. Accessed on 2nd December, 2013. Adedokun, A. A. (undated). Local government tax mobilization and utilization in Nigeria:
Problems and Prospects. Department of Public Administration and Local Government Studies. The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Adesina, A.A, Baidu-Forson, J. (1995). Farmer’s perceptions and adoption of new agricultural technology: Evidence Burkina Faso and Guinea, West Africa. Agric. Econ., vol. 13(1), pp.1–9.
Agada, M. O. (2009). Adoption of Improved Spear grass (Imperata cylindrica) Control technologies by yam farmers in Benue State, Nigeria. A pre-Ph.D seminar presented at Department of Agricultural Extension, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, pp.35-36.
Agbamu, J. U. (2000). Agricultural extension linkage system: An international perspective. Agricultural Research and Extension Network (AgREN), Paper No. 106a, July. London:ODI, pp. 1-7
Agbo, F. U. (2009). Farmers’ perception of cooperative societies in Enugu State, Nigeria. Agro- Science Journal of Tropical Agriculture, Food, Environment and Extension, vol. 8 (3), pp.167-174.
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