CHAPTER ONE
1.0
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
of the Study
To facilitate
rural development, the Federal and State government have been calling for the
need to develop the rural areas in recent years. For there to be any meaningful
development in the country, the rural areas must be first of all developed. The age grade association have contributed
immensely in the strategy design to improve the economic and social life of the
rural dwellers.
According to
Olisa and Obiukwu (1992:40), Rural development is concerned with the
improvement of the living standard of the population living in the rural areas
on self-sustaining basis. Age grade association is an improvement of social
institution especially, in land that constitutes important system in the social
structure of the society. It comprises of people regarded as age mate. Jeffery
(1950: 60) sees age grade association as a duty formalized for social
institution. It is composed of an organised people who share one ideology and
shoes activities and all the members are bound together by a common interest
and common problem.
Rural development
is a situation where the rural dwellers are provided with the basic needs of
life such as shelter, electricity, pip-born water, good roads, good food,
employments, health care services, quality education and those enjoy by the urbanites.
These amenities are lacking in Amaokwe. The age grade association can help to
harness the provision of the above amenities by each group lacking one or more
of the project thereby making available for ruralists. This study is prompted
by a desire to see how the age grade association can be mobilized to assist in
the development of town-Amaokwe
1.2 Statement
of the problem
The necessary things needed for
development are lacking in rural areas-physical resources, technical and
management skills. Infrastructural facilities like electricity, good roads,
pipe-born water, and good communication system are inadequate or totally
absent
The problem under study is how these
amenities can be provided to the people of Amaokwe. It is believed that age grade
association in Amaokwe can play vital roles in enhancing development. The study
focused on how the age grade association can be functional instrument in the
provision of these amenities for the general enhancement of the people’s
standard of living.
1.3 Objectives
of the Study
The specific
objectives of the study were to;
a. To ascertain
the function of age grade association in rural development.
b. To asset the
impact of age grade associations in the development of rural areas.
c. To identify the
factors affecting the development effort of the age grade association in
community development.
d. Make
recommendations based on findings.
1.4 Theoretical
Foundations of the Study
At this stage it
has become necessary to adopt a theoretical framework on order to give the work
proper focus and direction. The theoretical frame work aspted in work for the
purpose of understanding their relationship.
Diffusion approached to development
has been adopted as the theoretical framework f this study. Diffusion has been
defined as the process by which an
innovation is communicated over time through certain channels among the numbers
of social system [Olive, 2001:46] Ederi, 1976:56] Otilize diffusions theory in
a somewhat narror sense to explain the process by which a third world country
adopted capital technology and social structure from western industrialized
countries.
This theory emphatically explains
how the indigenes of an underdevelopment strategies rather than depending on
the western [development] countries. The early development theories economics
and psychological approaches] viewed that developing society could be
transformed in to a modern society. They were concerned with what the
government did to and for the people. By adopting diffusionist theory, age
grade associations should not wait for the government alone to aid should be a
collective effort.
1.5 Research
Question
The questions formulated for the
study are as follows-
1. What type of age grade do you belong to
2. What are the objectives of these age grade
association in Amokwe?
3. In what do these age grade association in
Amokwe contribute to the development of the community.
4. Does your age grade attain to their
objectives.
5. What factors affecting the contribution of age
association in the development of the town Amaokwe?
1.6 Scope
of the Study
The study covers
development in the area of facilities, education, health care services,
infrastructural facilities and social welfare. Moreover, it tries to be mining
the impact the age grades association will have in the development of these
areas. People from different work f life professionals, academicians, traders,
artisans, farmers that belong to different age grade association in Amaokwe
from age twenty-five and above will be studies.
1.7 Significant
of the Study
This study on age grade association
is an agent of rural development will help the rural communities and the
existing age grade association and their involvement in the process of rural
development. it will equally hep to source institution in the development It
will equally help other social institutions in the rural area to known how to
source institution in the development. Again, it will help the communities to
appreciate the contribution of age grade association towards rural development.
Moreover, it help the government to know the importance of age grade
association as it concerns rural development and can support the effort with
government aid and grants. Apart from these, the study will be of immense help
to students especially mass communication, student who want to know the role of
age grade association as an agent of rural development
1.8 Limitation
of the Study
The research was
constrained by money, time and population to carryout the survey of the entire
town in Udi Local government area. As a result of that, one town, Amaokwe was
used for the study of which more light can be thrown on age grade association
as an agent of rural development in Nigeria. Moreover, some of the respondents
in Amaokwe were illiterates and it affected the quality of their response.
Again, there was low level of cooperation especially from the illiterate ones
in the community.
1.9 Definition
of Terms
Age Grade Association: This is people of the same age mate who come
together under one umbrella and with common objectives.
Community: This
is people living within a geographical area with common culture ad social
system and the social system and the members are conscious of their unity.
Rural Area: This
is the country side where infrastructural facilities are usually inadequate or
absent and their main occupation is usually agriculture [subsistence].
Rural Development: This is the provision of the basis needs of
ife and raising the standard of living in the rural areas.
Rural Dwellers: These are people living in the rural areas.