ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECT OF DEMOCRATIC PARTICIPATION, AND FUNDING ON SERVICE DELIVERY IN SELECTED LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREAS OF KATSINA STATE, NIGERIA.
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Date
2019
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Abstract
This study was undertaken toassess the Effect of Democratic Participation, and Funding
on Service Delivery in Selected Local Government Areas of Katsina State, Nigeria. After
a prolonged spell of military administration, Nigeria is at last back to a democracy. An
ideal democracy is one that recognizes and encourages democratic participation and
funding in order to make the government more responsive to the needs of the people. Yet,
there seems to be a wide gap between democratic participation of the people, and
funding for the development of basic education, primary health care, water supply, and
sanitation in Daura, Bindawa, Malumfashi, Kafur, Dutsin-ma, and Safana Local
Government Areas of Katsina state. The main objective of the study is to assess the effect
of democratic participation, and funding for service delivery. The specific objectives are
to determine the effect of democratic participation, and funding on the development of
basic education, primary health care, water supply, and sanitation in the selected Local
Government Areas of Katsina State. Democratic participation, Efficiency Services
schools of thought, and the Public Value Theory were employed as theoretical
frameworks for the study. Survey research design was used, the six selected Local
Government Areas formed the population of the study, and using Yamane formula, a
sample size of 1,111 was arrived at. Simple random and Purposive sampling techniques
were employed in the selection of respondents. Both primary and secondary sources of
data were explored. Primary data were collected using five sets of questionnaires
administered to Local Government functionaries, staff of Basic Education Unit, staff of
Primary Healthcare Unit, staff of Social Development Unit, and the general public. Semi-
structured interview with the aid of a checklist was conducted with some members of
Parents Teachers Associations (PTA), members of National Union of Teachers (NUT),
members of Medical and Health Workers Union (MAHWU), executives of political
parties, and Community Based Associations. Systematic observation was made of
primary and junior secondary schools, primary healthcare facilities, public water supply
points, and refuse dump sites. Secondary data were sourced from records from Katsina
state Ministry of Finance, Education, and Health, and from Departments of Education
and Social Development, Primary Health care, Water Supply and Sanitation, and
Treasury, of the six Local Governments’ Secretariats. Data were presented in tabular
form, analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS 20.0), and Kendall’s
tau-b Correlation Coefficient was used to test the hypotheses postulated for the study.
The study found that there is moderate degree of democratic participation by the people
in the study areas, yet there is no active participation of the people in decision making at
Local Government level, and development of basic education, primary health care, water
supply, and sanitation was not as a result of democratic participation. The study found
that there is adequate funding for basic education in all the study areas, inadequate
funding for primary health care in all the study areas except Daura Local Government,
inadequate funding for water supply and sanitation in the study areas. As such the study
concluded that, on aggregate, development of basic education, primary health care,
water supply, and sanitation in the study areas was not influenced by the people’s
democratic participation, nor was it due to adequacy of funding.Governments use the
mass media of communication to sensitize people on important policy issues such as
security matters, support for polio immunization etc, political parties and politicians do the same to peddle their parties and candidacy respectively. Thus, it is recommended that
these same stakeholders use the same channels to educate their people politically,
sensitize them socially, and inform them adequately and timely, and include them in
problem identification, planning, budgeting, implementation, and monitoring and
evaluation so as to harmonize their democratic participation, and service delivery at
Local Government level. The source of authority for all tiers of government in Nigeria is
the Federal Republic of Nigeria Constitution. In view of the fact that efficient service
delivery requires adequate funding, it is recommended that the Constitution be amended
to compel Local Governments and other tiers of government to make a mandatory and
fixed allocation, to be reviewed periodically, forthe development of basic education,
primary health care, provision of water supply, and sanitation.