ABSTRACT

This study focuses on projects administration in the Idemili North and South Local Governments of Anambra State. The problem that attracted this study is poor projects administration/implementation in the two categories of Local Government in Nigeria. Most urban local governments are over crowded, dirty and noisy and the rural ones lack basic facilities. These unwanted elements are not unconnected with the careless way and manner projects are implemented in these local bureaucracies. The survey research method was adopted in eliciting information through questionnaire. The population of the study comprised junior, senior and managerial staff of the Idemili North and South Local Government Areas of Anambra State. The multi-stage (2-stage) sampling technique was used in selecting groups that fell into the sample. Three research questions and three null hypothesis guided this study, and the statistical instrument chi-square (X2) was used to analyze the data. The findings showed that irregular and inadequate funding, political interference and lack of extrinsic motivational factors are seriously working against effective projects implementation in the local governments. Sequel to these findings the researcher hereby recommends that the well to do community people should be

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

It is a truism that every organization has in its entirety a combination of people, working together with a view to achieving common organizational goals and objectives.

As a matter of fact, since people of various tribes and different age brackets are involved, it becomes obviously clear that administration of human and material resources must also be involved.

Administration must exist in any organization set-up for a defined purpose. According to Nwosu (1980.31), administration generally takes place in the context of organization which means in the context of a planned system of Cooperative effort in which individuals have assigned functions. In other words, local government administration is concerned with the management of the affairs of her areas.

One of the major problems that confront urban areas is poor execution of projects in their area, which essentially hinges on how to deployed the available human and material resources to meet the welfare needs of the local populace.

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However, like in many other third-world countries, local government administration has been described as inefficient and incapable of accomplishing the goals and objectives of the communities under their care.

The explanation for this are discerned from:

1.  Weak financial base of the local government

2.  Influence of politics

3.  Lack of effective political leadership

4.  Lack of Skilled Personnel

5.  Lean motivational packages

6.  Financial mismanagement

Orewa and Adewumi (1983:99-100) indicated that even in the early 1950s, during the colonial era that Nigerian Local Governments have been unable to efficiently and effectively perform their statutory functions and this was attributed to lack of financial resources and maladministration.

This situation eventually led to the take-over of some local government functions by the Federal Government starting from the period of the tier system of local government (1950).

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This loss of functions which increased with the creation of states in 1967, continued until the far reaching Local Government Reforms of 1976.

As a matter of fact, in its bid to make for uniformity in both structure and organization, the 1976 local government reforms in Nigeria made no distinction between small and large local government areas, and also between rural and urban local governments.

It only noted differences in their sizes caused by population and individual resources (human and material) and recognized the possibility of dividing one local government unit into lower tiers called Administrative and Development Areas, etc. But they would not be accorded Federal Governments recognition or fiscal allocation (Reform Guide lines 1976:5).

It is actually true that project administration which involves planning and implementation is an after-math of the Pyramidal tradition of bureaucratic organization, which failed to achieve the set objectives at the end of the targeted period of time. So project administration or management emerged as a “Panacea” to the multifarious problems of the traditional bureaucratic organizations. The American Heritage Dictionary defines a project

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as an undertaking requiring concentrated effect. Harrison (1945) on his own part defines a project as a non-routine, non-repetitive undertaking normally with discrete time, financially and technical performance goals.

From the foregoing, project administration or management must be within both time and estimates, as well as standard specifications.

Project administration or project implementation strategies starts with planning. But in most local governments in Nigeria implementation precedes planning. This is an aberration with failure as its resultant effects. It is these problems arising from poor or non implementation of projects at the local government level that this study is set to address.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

A number of reforms has been put in place in the local government system in Nigeria. The most prominent of all of them being the 1976 reforms.

The reason for the reforms, is that there is problem of non-performance with respect to provision and general low standard of living. The principal aim has been to give local governments definite and precise functions and strategies of implementing the

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