Assessment of Local Government Administration on Socio-Economic Development in Otukpo Local Government Area, Benue State, Nigeria
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64348/zije.2026579Keywords:
Local Government Administration, Economic & Socio-economic Development,Abstract
Despite the establishment of local governments as grassroots institutions for promoting economic and social development, many local councils continue to experience challenges such as poor implementation of development programmes, corruption, inadequate funding, and weak institutional capacity, all of which hinder effective development outcomes. Consequently, this study examined local government administration and socio-economic development in Otukpo Local Government Area. The population comprised 150 staff members of the local government council, from which 109 respondents were randomly selected. The study was guided by two research questions and two corresponding hypotheses tested at the 0.05 level of significance. A survey research design was adopted, and data were collected using a structured questionnaire. The instrument was face-validated and yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.68. Descriptive statistics, including frequency counts and percentages, were used to answer the research questions, while the Pearson Product–Moment Correlation was employed to test the hypotheses. The results indicated that there is a significant relationship between local government administration and socio-economic development in Otukpo Local Government Area. The study also found a significant relationship between the identified solutions and the improvement of local government administration and socio-economic development in the study area. The study recommends strengthening institutional capacity and enhancing the effective implementation of development programmes to promote sustainable socio-economic development in Otukpo Local Government Area.
References
Abutula, A. A. (2019). Rural development programmes and socio-economic transformation in Nigeria. Journal of Development Studies, 11(2), 78–94.
Agu, S. U. (2019). Local government reforms and grassroots development in Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Public Administration, 15(1), 44–59.
Agbegbedia, A. O. (2018). Introduction to research methods and statistics. University Press. Ameh, J. O. (2018). Corruption and administrative inefficiency in Nigerian local governments. Journal of Governance and Accountability, 6(2), 91–105.
Appadorai, A. (2021). The substance of politics (10th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Bass, B. M. (2008). The handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications (4th ed.). Free Press.
Bello-Imam, I. B. (2017). Intergovernmental relations and local government autonomy in Nigeria.Journal of Federal Studies, 9(1), 23–38.
Bass, B. M. (2008). The handbook of leadership: Theory, research, and managerial applications (4th ed.). Free Press.
Chiliokwu, E. O. (2018). Challenges of local government administration and grassroots development in Nigeria. Journal of Public Administration and Governance, 8(2), 45–58.
Denga, D. I. (2018). Agricultural extension services and rural development in Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 6(1), 89–101.
Englisia, R. K. (2022). Ethical leadership and accountability in public administration. International Journal of Public Sector Management, 14(3), 66–81.
Ezejeolue, N., & Ogwo, E. O. (2019). Basic research methods in social sciences. Heritage Publishers.
Igbokwe, I. A. (2018). Infrastructure development and economic growth in Nigeria: The role of local government. African Journal of Development Studies, 10(3), 112–126.
Jakish, P. A. (2019). Fiscal autonomy and effective local government administration in Nigeria. African Journal of Public Finance, 7(2), 52–68.
Mark, A. T. (2019). Local government administration and service delivery in Nigeria: Issues and prospects. Journal of Governance and Development, 5(1), 73–88.
Musa, A. Y. (2024). Democratic governance and the crisis of caretaker committees in Nigerian local governments. Journal of African Political Studies, 12(1), 21–39.
Ogbazi, J. N. (2019). Water supply, sanitation, and public health in rural Nigeria. International Journal of Environmental Health Studies, 7(2), 64–79.
Okoli, F. C. (2020). State–local government relations and democratic consolidation in Nigeria.
Nigerian Journal of Politics and Administration, 14(2), 101–118.
Pius, E. O. (2022). Local government and grassroots development in Nigeria: An appraisal. Journal of Social and Economic Research, 9(1), 33–47.
Ray, B. (2008). Endogenous development and territorial transformation. Journal of Regional Development Studies, 12(1), 19–34.
Robson, W. A. (2017). Local government in crisis. George Allen & Unwin.
Salu, R. A. (2017). Local government and socio-economic development in Nigeria. Journal of Social Policy and Administration, 9(3), 84–98.
Sorkaa, A. P. (2019). Party politics and local government performance in Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Political Science, 14(2), 117–132.
Ujo, A. A. (2017). Understanding research methods. Anyaotu Enterprises. Yamane, T. (1967). Statistics: An introductory analysis (2nd ed.). Harper & Row
