In the contemporary world today, the need to decentralize administration to facilitate efficiency, effectiveness and good governance has become the rule rather than the exception. Both developed and developing countries ensure that services are delivered to the people at the grassroots. It is no doubt that these services are delivered via a structure put in place by these countries, which are given different names. In Nigeria, it is called local government. Larger percentage of people in Nigeria live in the rural areas, where most of the local foods are produced, and bulk of votes also reside. It is however unfortunate that larger percentage of local government in Nigeria lack basic rural infrastructure needed to engender development. It is against this background that this paper assessed the level of rural infrastructure at the grassroots level with a view to identify the problems militating infrastructural development. The paper relied on both primary and secondary data to source its data. The paper submitted that for genuine development to take place in the rural areas necessary infrastructure must be put in place.
African Development Bank (1999) Infrastructure Development in Africa, African Development Report 1999. Oxford University Press.
Adeyeye, M. (2000) “Decentralization Versus Local Level Governance: The Congruence Problem” in Adedeji .A. and Bamidele .A. (Eds) People Centred Democracy in Nigeria: The Search for Alternative Systems of Governance at the Grassroots, Ibadan, Heineman Educational Books Plc.
Agagu .A (2004) “Continuity and Change in Local Government Administration and the Politics of Underdevelopment” in Agagu .A. and Ola, R. (Eds) Development Agenda of the Nigerian State. Ibadan, Fiag Publisher.
(1997) “Local Government” in Kolawe .D. (Ed) Readings in Political Science, Ibadan Dekaal Publisher.
Ajayi, .K (2000) “Justification and Theories of Local Government” in Ajayi .K. (Ed) Theory and Practice of Local Government. Ado Ekiti, Department of Political Science, University of Ado-Ekiti.
Anifowose .R. and Enemuo .F. (1999) Elements of Politics. Lagos, Malthouse Press Ltd.
Appadorai .A. (1975) The Substance of Politics New Dehil, Oxford University Press.
Arowolo .D. (2010) “Local Government Administration and the Challenges of Rural Development in Nigeria” in Agagu .A. Afinotan .L. Arowolo .D., Lawal .T. (Eds) Public Administration in Nigeria, Akure Alabi-Eyo & Co. Ltd.
Ayee .J. (2003) Towards Effective and Accountable Local Government in Ghana, Ghana Centre for Democratic Development.
Bonal .J. (n.d) A History of Decentration. Retrieved from http://wwwcresin.org/decentralization/English/General/Historyfao.html.
Central Bank of Nigeria (2002) Highway Maintenance in Nigeria: Lessons from other Countries, Abuja CBN.
Enero .J., Oladoyin .A. and Elumilade (2004) “Accountancy and Transparency in Revenue. Generation: The Case of Local Government in Nigeria” in International Review of Politics and Development, 2(2) Pg.1-3.
Food and Agricultural Organization (2006) Technical Consultation on Rural Infrastructure Issues on Rural Infrastructure and Challenges. www.fao.org/ag/magazine/ags-infra.pdf.
Federal Government of Nigeria (1999) The Constitution of Nigeria, Government Press, Abuja.
Geet (2007) Infrastructure Challenges to South Asia. Retrieved from http://www.adbi.org/discussion-pa-per2007/09/27/2364.infrastrucvture.challenges.south.asia.
Hall .D. (2006) Water and Electricity in Nigeria. A Report Commissioned by Public Service Interaction Unit (PISRU), Business School of University of Greenwich, London. Retrieved from www.world-post.org.
Heywood .A. (1997) Politics. London, Macmillian Press Ltd.
Tipingbemi .O. (2008) “Exploring Labour-Based Approach for Rural Road Maintenance in Nigeria” Journal of Social Science 17(2) p.108.
Khoza .R. (2009) “Sustainable Infrastructure Delivery Through Regional Cooperation” A paper presented at the 4th Environment Conference, Zambia, May 18, 2009.
Nwabueze .B. (1982) A Constitutional History of Nigeria. London, Longman.
Olowu .D. (1995) “The Failure of Current Decentralization Programmes in Africa” in Wunsch .S. and Olowu .D. (Eds) The Failure of Centralized State Institutions and Self Governance in African. Sanfracisco Institute for Contemporary Studies.
Rondinelli .D. (1981) “Government Decentralization in Comparative Perspective: Theory and Practice in Developing Countries” in International Review of Administrative Sciences, XLVII(2) P.137.
Sehinde .B. (2008) “Need for a Review of Statutory Roles of Local Government for Effective Service. Journal of Contemporary Politics 1(1). P.102.
Odoh .A. (2004) “An Assessment of the Operation of Local Governments under Civil Democracy in Nigeria (1999-2003)”, The Journal of Administration XXII(1) P.45.
Sikiru .L. (2000) “Local Government Administration in Nigeria: A Practical Approach” in Ajayi .K. (Ed) Theory and Practice of Local Government, Ado Ekiti University of Ado-Ekiti.
World Bank (2004) Rural Infrastructure in Nigeria: Addressing Gaps in Service Delivery-Retrieved from
http://www.worldbank.org.am/WEBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTERIES/ECAEXT/NIGERIA.
Wunsch .J. (2001) “Decentralization, Local Governance and Recentralization in Africa” Public Administration and Development 21(4) P.277.
Copyright: © 2014 The Author(s)
Published by Human Resource Management Academic Research Society (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode
