The Role Of Local Government In Community Development In Imo State
[A CASE STUDY OF OHAJI EGBEMA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA IN IMO STATE]

1.0 INTRODUCTION 

Local government in Nigeria is an organization of the state put in place to paddle development activities of a particular area or district with a view to making the impact of government felt at the grass root level.

Local government administration mainly deals with the responsibilities of the government of Nigeria in managing the affairs of the people living in a particular geographical area usually the rural people.

Nworji (2004:4) defined local government as a political arrangement guided by an established law whereby committees within different specified geographical area elect along themselves people who exercise specific power and authority granted to them by the constitution, decree and by-law within the area of distribution for the constitution, decree and bye-law within the area of distribution for the welfare of their people. In the words of Oyediran et al (2001) it is government in which popular participation both in the choice of decision maker and in decision making process is conducted by local bodies which recognize the supremacy of the central government is willing and able to accept responsibility for its decision. According to Ogunna (1996) local government is a form of devolution of the political power of a state. It is some as a political authority purposely created by law or constitution to managed local public affairs within the rural communities. Local government is also seen as the management of community affairs by the people of a locality. Before the colonial administration/era with its subsequent sudiseminate imposition of nature authority system. The various traditional system of local administration system was used to task development among  the people of Nigeria.

There main concern were about good road,  good pipe born water etc. the need to stimulate political and economic consciousness and also extend the goodies of government now democracy to the poor masses at rural level who constituted the greater proportion of the country is population in non  utmost and should be considered so by all concerned. The presence of the British in Nigeria introduced a different system of government “the local administration” which comes in form of indirect rule system. This system was introduced in eastern Nigeria, the system has elective principles it created a three system of government and they are the country, the  district and local council. Subsequently, in 1952 &1955 native authority system of administration low abolished more so in 1984 & 1999 respectively, local government was created to ensure the involvement and participation of his people at the local level in decision and plans for their own progress and development local government has created to mobilize the people at local level so as to harness their energies and resources towards national development.

So local government has played a major role in rural and community development just as in the case of Ohaji Egbema local government area. It was fashioned out to reach the unreached, fight against the inhibition that are against the rural dwellers. Yar dua also emphasized that the federal military government believe that human and material resources could be mobilized for development in the rural areas.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

In spite of all the effort made by local government see that development is extended to the rural areas or communities yet some people still curse the believe that local government administration has filled to accelerate development in the rural areas. 

These problems can be stated in the following forms:

1. Has Ohaji Egbema local government helped in providing some basic amenities?

2. In what ways has Ohaji Egbema local government helped in wiping out illiteracy in the rural areas?

3. To what extend has Ohaji egbema as a grass root level of government made move in developing?

4. Has Ohaji egbema made any impact in creating employment to their local areas.

5. To what level or extend has all these led to rural-urban migration with all its negative implication for national development?

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. To explore if Ohaji Egbema local government has played a complimentary role in rural development.

2. To explore the extent to which statutory allocation from the federation account ro Ohaji Egbema local government is utilized in rural development.

3. To prove that Ohaji Egbema local government has helped in promoting genral participation of the people of Ohaji egbema in community development.

4. To evaluate the extent to which Owerri local government areas has helped in creating employment in the areas.