GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AS INSTRUMENTS OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN ANAMBRA STATE, NIGERIA, 1976-1991

Abstract

The plight of the rural dwellers and living conditions in the rural areas were issues of concern to governments of developing countries. Several strategies were adopted to address the challenges these conditions posed. Of significant importance in this regard were government agencies. With respect to Nigeria, these agencies were the River Basin Development Authority, (RBDA), The Agricultural Development Project (ADP) and the Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructure (DFRRI). This paper seeks to demonstrate the suitability of these agencies as instruments of rural development, with a focus on Anambra State, during the period, 1976-1991. The consideration for this paper derives from the fact that temporal and spatial perspectives provide the accurate lenses through which the rural development agencies can be studied. This paper adopts a historical analysis of data, based on the mixed-method approach. Data derived from primary and secondary sources are presented thematically. It does not rely on theoretical constructs, but critically engages the available data to substantiate the kernel of its arguments. From the evidence available, the paper contends that while the RBDA and ADP projects were skewed towards agricultural transformation, those of the DFRRI was more holistic in approach. However, the projects executed by the agencies proved not to be sustainable.