Infrastructure development

The study examines the role the role and challenges of local government in rural development in Nigeria: a case study of Esan central LGA of Edo State. The specific objectives are to assess the role of the local government administration in rural development in Esan central Local Government Area; to investigate whether job creation and provision of infrastructures by the government led to prevention of rural-urban migration in Esan central Local Government Area; to find out the relationship between governments budgetary allocation and rural development in Esan central Local Government Area. This study employed both descriptive and inferential statistics in analyzing the data obtained.
The descriptive statistics used include frequency distribution, mean and standard deviation test t was used as an inferential statistic to test the research hypotheses. All hypotheses were tested at 5% level of significance. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS 20.0) software was as platform used for all the analyses. The findings from the study revealed that revealed that the local government has implemented effective policies that promote rural development in Esan Central. It was also discovered that government job creation programs have encouraged youths to remain in rural communities. It was revealed that Job creation and provision of infrastructures by the government help to prevent migration in Esan central Local Government Area. It was concluded that Government’s budgetary allocation helps to address rural development in Esan central Local Government Area. It was recommended that the government should always maintain a balance in development both in urban and rural areas of the state to minimize migration. Local governments should be more people-centered in approach, such that necessary collaboration/partnership with communities in its domain can facilitate the process of rural development.