Social Clubs, Resource Management and Rural Development in Nigeria: Lessons from Anambra State

The role of social clubs (as pools of human resources) in rural development in Anambra State, Nigeria, is examined against the background of the need for proper resource appraisal, rational use and management, and the relevance of the approach adopted to the rural environment being developed. The study is concentrated on Ihiala Local Government Area, one of the 23 local government units making up the State. Forty-five projects embarked upon by 50 per cent of the social clubs in the area are analyzed in terms of resource appraisal, utilization, management and environmental harmony. The implications of the organizations' approaches to rural development in terms of priorities, location and execution, resource wastage and relevance or otherwise of their approaches to rural development, are highlighted.