Rural Governance and Community Development Levy in Uyo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State

Esara U. Victor, Mfon E. Asuquo & Anthony F. Edet

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Abstract

This study was conducted to examine rural governance and how development levy contributes to community development in Uyo Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Community development is mostly enforced through rural governance by utilization of development levies. A community development levy is a charge or fee imposed by governments or local authorities on developers, businesses, or landowners when they undertake new developments, such as houses, commercial properties or infrastructure projects. The levy collected is typically used to fund local projects according to the felt needs of the community. In Nigeria, some states and local government councils have implemented a form of levy where developers pay a fixed or percentage-based fee toward community development. This paper explored the rationale behind the community development in Uyo Local Government Area, Nigeria. Anchored on the Endogenous Theory of Development, the research utilised secondary data from extant literature and used a descriptive method of data analysis for evaluation. The study revealed that a lack of transparency and accountability was the major problem of rural governance and community development. It was recommended that for effective rural governance and community development to take place, there must be a change of attitudes by leaders.

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