IIARD International Institute of Academic Research and Development

IIARD INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GEOGRAPHY AND ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT (IJGEM )

E-ISSN 2504-8821
P-ISSN 2695-1878
VOL. 11 NO. 5 2025
DOI: 10.56201/ijgem.vol.11.no5.2025.pg22.34

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Participation and Grassroots Development in Nigeria: A Study of Emohua Local Government Area, Rivers State, 2015-2023

Onuoha, Peter Chuks, Okore, Michael Okiemute

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Abstract

This paper investigated participation and grassroots development in Nigeria with emphasis on Emohua Local Government Area. In other to enhance the participation of people at the grassroots level in the development process, the institution of local was established in Nigeria. However, despite the existence of local government institution, numerous development problems such as lack of portable water, poor drainage system and lack of accessible road among others still ravage many rural areas in Nigeria and Emohua Local Government Area in particular. The existence of these problems is traceable to corruption, godfatherism and poor leadership among others that characterised local government system in Nigeria. People at the grassroots are not consulted before the initiation and execution of development projects and this has led to the failure of most of those projects. The elite theory propounded by Robert Michel, Gaetano Mosca and Vilfredo Pareto was adopted as the theoretical framework. Primary and secondary sources of data were adopted; primary source involved the use of interview while secondary source involve the collection of data from textbooks, journals and seminar papers among others. The study found that the major impediment to participation at the grassroots is corruption, godfatherism and poor leadership etc. The study therefore recommends that the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFFC) and the Independent Corrupt Practice & Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) should be alive to it responsibility so as to address the problem of corruption especially at the grassroots level in Nigeria

keywords:

Local Government, Grassroots, Participation and Administrators

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Appendix
INTERVIEW SCHEDULE
Questions
What do you understand by grassroots development?
Do officials of Emohua Local Government Area consult with the people before initiating
projects and programmes?
Can we attribute the poor performance of Emohua Local Government Area to corruption,
imposition and poor leadership etc to local government officials?

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