Egbichi Blessing Anyikwa, Victor Akinsanya Idowu & Hamed Adesile Soyele
Abstract
The existence of Non-governmental organizations in Nigeria is not in doubt to a good number of the nation’s citizenry. Their existence is further confirmed by the identification signposts erected in their premises and the names inscribed on their buildings and vehicles. Despite all these, their contributions to the development of the rural communities in Nigeria appear unclear to many among the rural populace and the entire nation. To this end, the paper examines the contributions of NGOs to the development of rural communities in Nigeria. In order to achieve this, the discourse places premium on conceptualizing NGOs and rural development while problems militating against the involvement of NGOs in rural development were also highlighted and discussed. Finally, the paper discusses the involvement of NGOs in the development of the rural communities in Nigeria. Based on the conclusion of the paper, it was recommended among others that adequate and functional monitoring mechanism should be put in place by the governments to check the excesses of NGOs, especially those that benefit from financial support from the government. This will help to minimize the rate of corrupt practices among the leaders of NGOs.