ROLE OF COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION IN SUSTAINING RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGER STATE: A STUDY OF WARD DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS IN RIJAU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

Abstract

The Ward Development Project (WDP) is a program initiated by the Government of Niger State which adopted a community driven development version of participatory development project execution in order to achieve effectiveness in infrastructure development to improve the living standards of people at grassroots in the State. This study aimed at exploring the role of community participation in sustainable rural development in Rijau Local Government Area (LGA). Predicated on the popular Top-Down Approach which is built on the assumption that policies are always made by policymakers and implemented by mechanisms set up by the policymakers. The research adopted a survey method; a sample of 384 is taken to represent the population of the study area using the Cochran model of sample determination. The study utilizes questionnaire, interview and focus group discussion (FGD) as instruments for data collection, while frequencies, percentages and means (X) were used to take decisions in the study. Findings from the study show that community participation in the implementation of the WDP was low due to denial of local people by the ward development project committees in Rijau LGA; local peoples' contribution in securing and maintaining projects executed through the ward development project was insignificant due to lack of community participation in Rijau LGA. The study therefore recommends that government should support the community to ensure a strong commitment to participation in development projects, by truly adopting the bottom-up approach to development; orientate its mechanism for implementation to the participatory approach and to practically involve the community in decision making processes during the formulation, implementation and evaluation of the project.