RURAL DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES; HOW ACTIVE ARE YOUTH IN AKINYELE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF OYO STATE, NIGERIA (Published)
The research examines Youth Participation in Rural Development Programme in Akinyele Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. A total of 110 respondents were selected for study through multistage random sampling techniques. Simple descriptive statistics such as frequency counts and percentage as well as inferential statistics such as Pearson Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) were used to analyze data collected. Result of analysis shows that majority of the respondents were between 21-30 years, male (53.6%), married (70.9%) and had formal education (81.9%). Majority (84.5%) contributed money, time, material and labour to rural development programmes. The programmes participated in includes; construction of town hall (2.43), construction of market stall (2.40), and construction of bus stop (2.31). Half (51.8%) of the respondents participated moderately in community development programmes. Constraints faced by respondents were poor leadership style (80.9%), inadequate funding (76.4%), lack of incentive (71.8%) among other. The result of PPMC analysis reveals that there is significant relationship between level of participation and; occupation (r=0.434, p=0.05), membership of social organization (r=0.267, p=0.05), educational level (r=0.403, p=0.05) and years of residence (r=0.342 p=0.05). The study therefore is concluded that youth participation in community development programmes was moderate in the study area. There is need to empowered youth financially to enable them complement government efforts in rural development programmes.
Keywords: Development, Participation, Programme, Rural, Youth
SELF-HELP AS A PANACEA FOR RURAL INFRASTRUCTURAL PROVISION IN KAIAMA LOCAL GOVERNMENT, KWARA STATE, NIGERIA (Published)
Community participatory rural development is often seen as panacea for sustainable growth of rural area. Monitored project evaluation in Kaiama Local Government of Kwara state of Nigeria has offered much opportunity to examine community participatory procedures and effects among rural communities. About 10% of the rural household heads were randomly interviewed on their experiences in community development. The study shows that an average rural resident is aware of development in their area and the system of self- help has helped to uncover practical development plans and encouraged local participation of rural communities. Majority of the respondents participated in a community project or the other, and contributed financially in the past five years. Despite these, societal problems are still not completely solved as rural residents still yearn for government support for the improvement of infrastructural development in the study area.
Keywords: Infrastructural Provision, Participation, Self-help
PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING IN ZIMBABWE: EXPERIENCES AND REFLECTIONS FROM HARARE CITY COUNCIL (Published)
Participatory budgeting (PB) presents a direct-democracy approach to budgeting. It offers residents an opportunity to learn about Harare City Council operations and to debate and influence the allocation of public resources. PB incontrovertibly strengthens all-encompassing governance by giving marginalised and excluded groups the chance to have their voices heard and to influence public decision making vital to their interests. Therefore, PB remarkably promotes good governance. PB faces a lot of challenges in local authorities in Zimbabwe. There is serious lack of residents’ participation in policy and decision making in council budget formulation. The residents are marginalised. The study found that there are massive institutional capacity, financial and human resources capacity gaps at Harare City Council. The policy, legal and institutional frameworks do not support PB. The study recommends that the legal instruments be amended, e-governance system be installed and the councillors should be capacitated through capacity building programmes
Keywords: Budgeting, Governance, Harare City Council, Participation, Participatory budgeting
SUSTAINABILITY OF BOREHOLE WATER SCHEMES IN OGBOMOSO SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT, OYO STATE, NIGERIA (Published)
The study assessed the sustainability of borehole water supply schemes in Ogbomoso Township. The specific objectives are to examine the socio-economic characteristics of respondents, enumerate the number of boreholes in the area, identify the stakeholders of borehole maintenance and investigate the functionality of boreholes and examine the management strategies employed. Data were collected through personal observation and focus group discussion. A total of 380questionnaires were administered it was further analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics such as ANOVA. The study revealed that majority of the respondents was females (63.16%) and married (43.68%) with diverse occupations. The study shows that (47) of the boreholes were functioning well, while (21) were in a state of disrepair and did not function as at the time of data collection. The result shows that the amount of boreholes water could not meet the demand of the population in the area. The study therefore recommended the partnership approach in addition to community approach in the maintenance of borehole water supply schemes in the study area. Again, government should offer financial support in the maintenance of boreholes and community participation should be encouraged through public enlightenment.
Keywords: Borehole, Community and Water Scheme, Participation, Sustainability
