Commuity Development and the Politics of Development Intervention in Nigeria: Issues and Emerging Perspectives

Community Development and the Politics of Development Intervention in Nigeria: Issues and Emerging Perspectives

By

John M. Patrick Ph.D [e-mail] 08055315449 Department of Adult and Non-Formal Education University of Port Harcourt

Being a Paper Presented in the First National Conference of Community Development Practitioners in Nigeria Held at University of Ibadan on 27-29 August, 2012.

Community Development and the Politics of Development Intervention in Nigeria: Issues and Emerging Perspectives

Abstract
The Nigerian government involvement in community development is often seen as development intervention to fill the development gap in the county. The involvement of the government in community development is not new it can be traced to colonial area and over the years it has taken different dimensions- from national development plans to the use of development agencies. This paper traces the involvement of the government in community development from the colonial era to post independent period and argued that community development through development intervention has been political and that at various times community development effort of the government is not out of the genuine aspiration of the people rather it is aimed at meeting the exigencies of the time and the needs of the political class. Because of these underlining objectives of government development intervention programmes for community development, the avowed community development principles are not taken into cognizance and the programmes also lack measures of sustainability.
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