Traditional Leadership and Rural Development in the Democratic Dispensation in Nigeria
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Abstract
The study investigated the impact of traditional leadership and rural development on the democratic dispensation in Nigeria. It employed both adaptive approach and bottom-up approaches. Both primary and secondary data were collected. A total of 200 respondents comprising leaders and non-leaders were selected through stratified random sampling technique in the study. Simple percentage and mean scores were utilized in realizing the objectives. The major findings showed that, there was a significant relationship between traditional leadership and rural development. The most vital functions performed by traditional leaders in rural development include: decision-making liaison between government and non-governmental agencies and the community for financial and technical assistance; monitoring and evaluation of projects; and fund raising for projects. It also showed that (30%) source of information for rural development efforts were through the local leaders themselves. Incompatibility of government policies with community programs, insufficient sources of funds, poor implementation of programs, and gender bias constituted the major constraints to effective leadership in rural development programs in the country. It was recommended among others, that for sustainability to be achieved through rural development efforts, there is an urgent need for extension policy that will accommodate the traditional leaders in all the rural development initiatives of both governmental and non-government agencies; and also traditional leaders should be empowered adequately as this would go a long way influencing their effectiveness in grassroots mobilization for rural development.
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