FACTORS THAT PROMOTE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Background to the Study

Community development and its practice in Nigeria are not new. Even before the coming of the colonial masters, several societies in Nigeria used communal efforts s mechanism for mobilizing community resources to improve physical improvement and functional facilities in their given locations in the social, political, cultural and economic aspect of life (Ewelum and Madu, 2010). According to Ewelum and Madu (2010), the modern concept of community development gave rise to the establishment of community development division /department/directorate as a crucial arm of government charged with the responsibility of channeling the efforts of the people towards promoting social and economic development. Ezeh (2014) therefore defined community development as a term that denotes various strategies and interpositions through co-ordinated actions of the community members in order to usher in for the people social and economic development. It is an effort geared towards achievement and solution of the problems of the community, promoting social welfare, justice, raising standard of living, community cohesion and developing their material and human resources to a great extent. Alvis in Njoku (2016) defined community development as many issues ranging from the development of the neighborhood community through improved social services, protection and regeneration of natural and built environmental factors, through the development of economic and employment opportunities.