CHAPTER 1:

Introduction  

According to Eme et al, (2012) town unions represent an association formed by the people of the same town, local government or even district as the case may be. Town Union can also be seen as an agency of community through which innovations and development purposes are achieved for the community. Society and cultures are dynamic therefore social institutions grow with the society. The Town Union has continued to grow with the Igbo society and has acquired new names like central unions, group unions, progressive association, development union and Town Union. Thus, in developing Igbo society the Town Union has assumed the status of civil society organization with improved administrative structures. Apart from undertaking several development and infrastructural projects, it has continued to serve as the organ for local administration in Igbo land.

1.1            Background of the Study

The rural areas are characterized by pervasive endemic poverty, made manifest by widespread hunger, malnutrition, poor health, general lack of access of formal education, modern housing and various forms of social and political solution compared with their urban counterparts. Thirdly, it is being recognized that the problems of our urban centres cannot be solved unless those of the rural areas are solved, or at least contained. Hence these problems emanated from the unprecedented rural –urban migration which in turn derives from rural area underdevelopment, poverty and unemployment (Akpomuvie 2010).

Similarly Ekekpe and Ekpe (2009) noted with pity the conditions of our rural areas when they averred that whether you are in the Northern part of the country or in the southern part, you will be struck by the very level of abject poverty, mass illiteracy, unsanitized environment lack of clean water supply, lack of access roads, unavailability of health care facilities, improper and inadequate housing poor lighting particularly at night, defeatist/fatalist attitude, small land parcel ownership, out-modeled ineffective farming implement etc. these conditions cannot be ameliorated by government alone.

The importance of the community development in contemporary Nigerian society cannot be overemphasized as much as it cannot be relegated to the background as its significance stems from its recognized role in the process of achieving the improvement of economic, social, political and cultural conditions of the communities. As a strategy, community development ensures rapid national development hence Ugwu’s (2009:4) assertion “community development is one of the major planks upon which National developmental policies and their implementation are hinged”. The research seeks to investigate town union as agent of community development in Anambra state.