Administrative Barriers to Community Development Programmes in Nsukka Local Government Area

Administrative Barriers to Community Development Programmes in Nsukka Local Government Area

CHAPTER ONE

Purpose of the Study

The major purpose of this study is to identify administrative barriers to Community Development programmes in Nsukka Local Government Area.  Specific purposes of the study are:-

1. To ascertain the personal characteristics of the respondents.
2. To identify administrative barriers which hinder effective identification of community needs.
3. To ascertain administrative barriers which lead to low level of mobilization for participation in community development programmes.
4. To identify administrative barriers that hinder effective implementation of Community Development programmes.
5. To identify administrative barriers which hinder effective funding of Community Development programmes.
6. To ascertain administrative barriers that hinder effective supervision, monitoring and evaluation of Community Development programmes.

CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

Conceptual Clarifications

There are different key words used in the topic of this study and they need to be explained for better understanding.  They are “administrative”, “barriers”, “community development” and “programmes”.

 Administrative

Administrative is the adjective of the word “administration” while administration is also the noun form of the word “administer”.  Administration has been defined in very many ways by different authors.

Mgbodile, Okeke, Elele, Akubue, Ezeocha, Nduanya and Chukwuma (1986:60) declared that administration means getting things done.  According to Mgbodile, et al “reveal that the purpose of administration is to achieve the objective that had led to the setting up of an organization.”  Mgbodile et al maintains that administration has to bring together human and material resources for goal achievement.

Okeem (1989:51) in his definition reveals that administration in general is the process of using human and material resources to get things done in order to achieve goals already established by an organization.  Okeem believes that administration is goal-oriented in intention; hence it should be about the management of these resources economically and therefore, effectively in order to maximize the advantages and minimize disadvantages for the system being administered.  Thus the health of the system would be maintained.  This should be the overall purpose of any administration, Okeem maintains.

Adebayo (2001:1) simply defines administration as the organization and direction of persons in order to accomplish a specified end.  Citing Simon, Smithburgy and Thompson, Adebayo declares that when two men cooperate to roll a stone that neither could move alone, the rudiments of administration have appeared.

Obikeze, Obi and Abonyi (2000:38) cite Ezeani and Elekwa who quoted the leading German textbook on Administrative Law as defining administration as the function of attending to matters by way of executing them which means to act purposely, that is, following a set goal, and hence adhering to a plan.  Obikeze et al declare that the author was much more concerned with execution of issues by administrations at the Local Government levels. Oduaran (1994: 108) refers to administration to involve the establishment of the desired leadership as well as the guidance and control of human and material resources in the bid to achieve the effective and direction of organization striving to realize its predetermined goals or path. Abonyi (1992) sees administration as the organization and management of men and material resources for the realization and achievement of some specific goals and objectives.  Abonyi takes organization to mean the structure, the placement, the positioning of men and materials at strategic positions.  Management on the other hand, according to Abonyi, consists of directives, instructions, commands, actions, of human beings who employ the materials towards achieving stated aims and objectives.

The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary (2000:5) sees administration in the following ways:

1. The activities that are done in order to plan, organize and run a business, school or other institution;
2. The process or act of organizing the way that something is done;
3. The people who plan, organize and run a business, institution, etc.
4. The government of a country.

From all these definitions, one can rightly assert that administration is a purposeful effort.  It has to do with bringing both human and material resources together in an organized manner to achieve some stated goals and objectives of an organization.  It is the organization and direction of persons in order to accomplish a specified end, making use of available material resources to accomplish some goals/objectives that are set.  Administration is also the ability to put persons into working order and telling them what to do and how to do it so that a specified end will be accomplished.  Administration is equally people since it has to do with the establishment of leadership.  This leadership is concerned with the planning, organizing, direction, of human beings, who in turn will use materials to accomplish some stated objectives so that organizational or business goals will be realized.

Administration does not exist in a vacuum.  There are roles expected to be played by administrators.  These are what Adebayo (2001:13) refers to as “functions of administration” and Oduaran (1994:108) refers to these as “the administrative processes”.  They are represented by an acronym POSDCORB and stand for the following activities:- Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting and Budgeting.

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CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

This chapter concerns the methodology to be adopted in this research.  The following sub-headings make up this chapter:- design of the study, area of study, population, sample and sampling technique, instrumentation, Validity of instrument, reliability of the instrument, method of data collection and methods of data analysis.

Design of the study

This study is survey.  It describes the administrative barriers to community development programmes in Nsukka Local Government Area.  According to Ali (1996: 84), a survey is a descriptive study, which seeks to document and describe what exists or the present status of existence or absence of what is being investigated.  Ali maintains that typical survey develops a profile on what is and not why it is so, they do not relate one variable to another.  Rather, information gathered on the subject of investigation is described.

The rationale for choosing this design is because this research work is descriptive in nature.  It is used to elicit information from members of town/community development union on the topic of the study.

Area of study

The researcher will restrict this research work to town unions in different communities in Nsukka Local Government Area.  The reason for the choice of town/development unions is that they are more reliable and recognized in the local communities as having the interest of the general welfare of the people than any every association.  Nsukka is also chosen because it is one of the local government areas in Nigeria where both the federal and state governments, including non-governmental organizations have extended development programmes and projects.

According to Onah (1996), Nsukka Local Government Area is made up of sixteen (16) towns or communities.  They are: Nsukka, Okpaligbo, Obimo, Ibagwa-Agu, Obukpa, Eha-Alumona, Opi, Anuka, Okpuje, Eha-Ndiagu, Ibagwa-Ani, Alor-Uno, Okutu, Edem, Ede-Oballa and Lejja.

CHAPTER FOUR

PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA

This chapter is all about presentation and analysis of data based on questionnaire distributed.  Data collected are organized in tables according to the research questions using percentages and weighted mean.  It is divided into two sections.  Section A is the characteristics of the respondents while Section B is for the research questions.  In analyzing data related to Section A, percentages were used while in Section B, weighted mean was used.

CHAPTER FIVE

SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

The researcher in this chapter intends to summarise findings that were made.  Recommendations from the findings will be made as well.  Results based on the findings will be discussed.  The limitations, education implications of the study and suggestions for further research will be made.

Primarily, the study was undertaken to find our administrative barriers to community development programmes in Nsukka Local Governmetn Area.  Also investigated are the characteristics of the respondents.

Summary of Findings

The following were the facts found about the characteristics of the respondents:-

1. Almost all the respondents are males
2. Majority of the respondents are married
3. Majority of the respondents fall within the age range of 41-50.
4. Grater number of the respondents are holders of HND/Degree and NCE/OND
5. Exco members are greater in number than other office holders

As regards administrative barriers that hinder effective identification of people’s needs, the respondents agreed thus:-

1. Communication gap
2. Top-down approach
3. Neglect for some segments/members of the community
4. Non-consultation with the grassroots/voluntary associations
5. Non-consultation with local leaders.

The respondents perceived the following as administrative barriers that hinder effective mobilization of people for participation in community development programmes:-

1. Inadequate awareness creation/campaign
2. Lack of motivation as a result of non-identification of people’s need
3. Inexperienced community development personnel and attitude of development agencies
4. Over-centralization
5. Selective participation and
6. Irrelevant projects

The following were perceived by the respondents as administrative barriers that hinder effective implementation of community development programmes:-

1. Lack of material resources/late releases of funds for implementation of community development programmes.
2. Political instability/lack of programme continuity
3. Unqualified/inexperienced community development personnel
4. Bureaucratic delays
5. Wrong situation of projects
6. Non-involvement of the community members in planning and implementation

For data collected as administrative barriers that hinder effective funding of community development programmes, the respondents agreed thus:-

1. Embezzlement/diversion of funds/inadequate accountability
2. Late release of funds by funding bodies
3. Inadequacy of funds
4. Unrealistic budgetary allocation
5. Non-involvement of the community in funding development projects.

The respondents perceived administrative barriers which hinder effective supervision, monitoring and evaluation of community development programmes as follows:-

1. Unqualified/inexperienced personnel
2. Poor motivation of community development personnel
3. Bad roads/problem of transportation in rural areas and lack of documentation of reports by field workers.
4. Understaffing of community development programmes

Conclusion

This research was meant to identify administrative barriers to community development programmes in Nsukka Local Government Area.  Members of Town Unions/Development Unions in the sixteen (16) towns that make up Nsukka Local Government Area numbering 216 were studied.  Out of this number 203 respondents returned their questionnaire.  One out of 202 questionnaires was discarded since it was wrongly filled.

Six research questions were formulated to guide the study.  They are:

1. What are the characteristics of respondents?
2. What are the administrative barriers that hinder effective identification of people’s needs?

• What are the administrative barriers that hinder effective mobilization of people for participation in community development programmes?

1. What are the administrative barriers that hinder effective implementation of community development programmes?
2. What are the administrative barriers that hinder effective funding of community development programmes?
3. What are the administrative barriers that hinder effective supervision, monitoring and evaluation community development prorammes?

The research shows that majority of the respondents are males, married, fall within the age of 41-50 years, exco-members, and are HND/Degree and NCE/OND holders.

The research indicates that the major barriers to effective identification of people’s needs are communication gap; neglect for some segments of the community, non-consultation with the grassroots institutions/voluntary organizations; and non-consultation with local leaders.

Major barriers to effective mobilization of people for participation in community development programmes are over-centralization, lack of motivation as a result of non-identification of people’s real needs; attitude of development agency; inexperienced community development personnel and irrelevant projects.

Respondents indicated that major barriers that hinder effective implementation of community development programmes are: lack of materials resources/late release of funds; political instability; unqualified/inexperienced community development personnel; bureaucratic delays, wrong situation of projects and non-involvement of community members in planning and implementing projects.

Embezzlement/diversion of funds/inadequate accountability; late release of funds by funding bodies, and non-involvements of community in funding development projects post great barriers to effective funding of community development programmes.

As to administrative barriers that hinder effective supervision, monitoring and evaluation of community development programmes, bad roads/problems of transportation in rural areas, poor motivation of community development workers, unqualified/inexperienced community development personnel, lack of documentation of reports by field workers and understaffing of community development programmes were identified.

Summarily, the researcher believes that problem identified is half-solved.  This entails that efforts will be made to solve problems when they are identified.

Recommendations

The following recommendations are made as a result of the research findings:-

• The researcher recommends that people who should benefit from any development programme should participate at all levels – need identification, planning, implementation, funding and evaluation since this will make the people have a sense of ownership of the programme and also for sustainability of the programme.
• There is need for awareness creation so that people will know the existence of development programmes.  This can be done involving town criers, posters, radios/Tvs, village campaigns, involvement of village organizations, etc.
• In-coming administrators should try to complete projects initiated by the out-going.  This will make for continuity/completion of programmes/projects.
• Punishment should be meted on people who embezzle or divert funds meant for development projects.  Funds should also be made available on time and the people who are going to benefit from any development programme/project should be involved in funding.
• Training is recommended.  Training is very necessary for community development personnel.  They in turn will train people for whom development programme/projects are meant to benefit on the usage.  Staff training can be pre-service, in-service, on-the-job, etc.
• It is recommended that immediate attention should be paid to reports by field workers.  This will go a long way in making for effective implementation of community development programmes.  These reports should be well-documented too for future use.

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