DETERMINANTS OF LOCAL GROUP PARTICIPATION IN RURAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITIES IN SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

Poor participation and lack of cooperative action of local groups in Community Development (CD) lead to inequitable resource distribution and do not guarantee peoples’ ownership of projects. Despite the national prominence given to participatory development process, the concept is yet to be institutionalised in many rural societies. Previous studies on group participation in CD activities have focused on how to promote group participations in communities, with little evidence on what drives participation in such activities. Therefore, determinants of local groupparticipation in CD activities in southwestern Nigeria were investigated.

A four-stage sampling procedure was used. Osun and Ekiti and 20% rural Local Government Areas (LGA) in each state were randomly selected to give 5 and 2 LGAs, respectively. Thirty-three groups were purposively selected from the LGAs based on availability of group projects completed within the last five years. Thereafter, 214 and 89 members were sampled from groups in Osun and Ekiti States, respectively. Interview schedule was used to collect data on respondents’ personal and enterprise characteristics, local groups’ characteristics, perception of participation in CD activities, benefits derived from participation, constraints faced and extent of participation in CD activities. Indices of perception (unfavourable: 75.0-86.7; favourable: 86.8-144.0), benefits derived (low: 26.0-34.0; high: 34.1-47.0), constraints to participation in CD activities (low: 6.0-16.7; high: 16.8-31.0) and extent of participation in CD activities (low: 15.0-23.1; high: 23.2-33.0) were generated. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Chi-square, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, t-test and Ordinary Least Square regression at α 0.05.

Respondents’ age, years of formal education, household size, monthly income and years of experience were 53.74±9.63 years, 7.97±3.96 years, 7.95±1.62 persons, ₦354,782.18±99,036.04 and 19.00±31.00 years, respectively. Most respondents were male (77.6%), married (91.7%) and engaged in farming (61.1%) as primary occupation. Group types in the study area included cooperative society (27.2%), village development union (36.4%) and occupational group (36.4%), while group membership size and years of existence were 60±12.24 persons and 10.33±2.32 years, respectively. More than half (52.1%) of the respondents had favourable perception and derived high benefits (51.2%) from participation in CD activities. More (60.2%) of the respondents had high level of constraints to participation in CD activities; with cultural restriction of women to participation (261.0) and poor encouragements from government (227.8), being the major constraints. Participation in local group activities was low among 57.4% of the respondents. Marital status (χ2=8.635), age (r=0.212), benefits derived (r=0.275) and constraints (r=0.064) were significantly related to group’s participation in CD activities. Respondents from Ekiti State participated more in local group activities (19.28±1.32) than respondents from Osun State (18.14±2.60). Extent of group participation in CD activities was predicted by years of experience (β=0.227), benefits derived (β=0.072) and constraints to participation in CD activities (β=-0.135).

Participation of local groups in community development activities in southwestern Nigeria was low. Participation of group was influenced by years of experience, benefits derived and constraints faced. Enabling environment that will reduce constraints to participation in community development activities should be put in place by the government.