Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO), Rural Development and Democratic Sustainability in Nigeria

Abstract

The paper has examined the nexus between Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), rural development and democratic sustainability in Nigeria. The paper establishes that democracy has come to be the best form of government in the world. To this end, it is considered to be a representative system of government that requires empowerment of the rural dwellers who constitute a large percentage of the poor in Nigeria. Thus, sustainability of democracy is only dependent to the extent that it empowers the poor to participate in politics and other civil activities.  The rural sector of the Nigerian societies is an object of neglect by different administrations in the country, and it is the manifestation and embodiment of Nigerian underdevelopment condition. The overall analysis of the study revealed that NGOs are very prominent in effective advocacy and implementation of development programs towards sustainable rural development and that these NGOs achieve this through gender awareness and participation, community mobility empowerment, health care programs, micro credit schemes and poverty alleviation, human right advocacy, conflict resolution and peace building.  The findings also entail that these activities have impacted positively on democratic sustainability. The work therefore recommends that government and NGOs should synergize to provide good governance, basic infrastructural facilities, employment opportunities and general development of the rural areas   as these would facilitate the reduction of poverty and its attendant effects, which are impediments to sustainable democracy in Nigeria.