Accountability and good governance at the grassroots level in Nigeria: Option for rural poverty alleviation

Abstract

Nigeria is the only country in the world that is rich in oil and other mineral resources and yet its citizens remain at the very lowest ladder of the poorest people in earth. It is estimated that most Nigerians live on less than a (Us) dollar in a day. This poverty situation has affected the general perception and of doing things among Nigerian so negatively that it has become a problem in Nigeria mostly at the grassroots level. Although poverty is a universal phenomenon that affect the Socio-economic and political well being of its victims whether in developed or underdeveloped countries however, statistics and data show that poverty in poor countries is absolute and more pronounced in rural areas due to lack of accountability and good governance among council officials. Since our independence the rural folks that constitute significant segment of the Nigerian Society live in abject and hopeless poverty and are neglected in terms of socioeconomic and political wellbeing. There is therefore an urgent need for elected local government officials to be accountable and ethical imperative for good governance at the grassroots levels. This paper has provided an ethical and empirical analysis of the problems, and points out that poverty cannot be totally eradicated but it can be alleviated and that its rest on transparency and good governance at the grassroots in Nigeria.

Keywords: Rural, poverty, governance, accountability