Community Participation and Rural Development in Iheowere, Nsukka Local Government Area of Enugu State, 2012-2014

ABSTRACT This project report studied community participation and rural development in Nigeria, from 2012- 2014. The study has both broad and specific objectives. The broad objective is to determine whether communities in Nsukka local government area participated effectively in community rural development. The specific objectives are as follows: (i) To ascertain the extent of community participation in community development in Ihe-Owere. (ii) To determine whether the problem of inadequate funding hinder Ihe-Owere community from participating actively in the development of their area. The human development theory was employed as the theoretical framework of analysis. The research design used is theshort case study (XO), cause and effect, dependent and independent variable relationships. Random sampling technique was used to choose two hundred men and womenfor the study. The research used both qualitative and quantitative method of data collection. Basically, primary data was used for the study. The primary data was collected through the use of direct observation, oral interview, and administration of well-structured two hundred questionnaires.The study utilized percentages, tables and figures to test and analyze the data collected. The major finding of the study includes; Ihe-Owere community has not participated effectively in rural development of their area. Inadequate funding is found to be one of the problems that hindered active participation cum proper development in Ihe-Owere, Nsukka LGA. Hence, we recommended among others that, the community must be empowered economically by the government and should be given an opportunity to identify its own problem, design its own solutions, implement the solutions and monitor and evaluate every activity on an ongoing basis without undue interference of any sort.