Abstract
This study evaluated the deteriorating state of social services at the Local Government levels in
Abia State, Nigeria (2007-2014). The objectives of the study were aims were to ascertain the
contributions of elected and appointed local government officials towards social service delivery,
identify other bodies that complemented the efforts of local governments towards basic
infrastructural provisions and to identify the challenges hindering the effective and efficient
social services provisioning by the Local Governments. Three research questions were posed to
guide the study. The Efficiency Service Theory was adopted for the discourse as it sees the local
government as the best agent for providing social services at the local level in the most effective
and efficient manner. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study while questionnaire
was used to collect information from the respondents in the study area. Systematic sampling
method was used to select three Local Governments from the three Senatorial Zones in the state
for the study. The data collected were analyzed using simple percentage. Qualitative data and
extensive literature review were also used in the analysis to reflect historical evolution and the
objectives of social services in the study area in order to establish the present state and nature of
service delivery. The findings of the study revealed that although the Federal and State public
agencies, NGOs, local communities and philanthropists complemented the efforts of the local
government in social service delivery, the local government as the closest level of government to
the people has failed to meet the desire of rural and grassroots development through social
service delivery. These failures were largely due to appointment of local government chairmen
which resulted to less service delivery because those appointed owed their allegiance to the
people who appointed them rather than the masses, excessive interference of the federal and state
governments in local government affairs, top-down policy approach, lack of financial and
qualified personnel, corruption through bribery, embezzlement and misappropriation of public
funds among others. The implications of the study were that poor performance of Local
Governments on social service led to underdevelopment and these would continue to thrive in
the rural areas of the state if measures were not taken to curb these problems. It is therefore
recommended that there should be election of local government chairmen rather than
appointment to encourage the political leaders’ commitment to the needs of the people, sourcing
for alternative sources of revenue apart from federal and state allocations, and involvement of the
people in projects and programmes concerning them to avoid negligence and decay among
others.
JANET, O (2021). Evaluation Of Social Service Delivery At The Local Government Level In Abia State, Nigeria (2007-2014). Afribary. Retrieved from https://afribary.com/works/evaluation-of-social-service-delivery-at-the-local-government-level-in-abia-state-nigeria-2007-2014
JANET, OBASI "Evaluation Of Social Service Delivery At The Local Government Level In Abia State, Nigeria (2007-2014)" Afribary. Afribary, 14 May. 2021, https://afribary.com/works/evaluation-of-social-service-delivery-at-the-local-government-level-in-abia-state-nigeria-2007-2014. Accessed 24 Dec. 2024.
JANET, OBASI . "Evaluation Of Social Service Delivery At The Local Government Level In Abia State, Nigeria (2007-2014)". Afribary, Afribary, 14 May. 2021. Web. 24 Dec. 2024. < https://afribary.com/works/evaluation-of-social-service-delivery-at-the-local-government-level-in-abia-state-nigeria-2007-2014 >.
JANET, OBASI . "Evaluation Of Social Service Delivery At The Local Government Level In Abia State, Nigeria (2007-2014)" Afribary (2021). Accessed December 24, 2024. https://afribary.com/works/evaluation-of-social-service-delivery-at-the-local-government-level-in-abia-state-nigeria-2007-2014