ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF STAKEHOLDERS IN THE GOVERNANCE OF BIDA TOWNSHIP

Abstract

Governance is a tradition and institution that has the authority to control activities within a country, state or localities as the case may be, whereas, good governance shows different ways in which power and authority relations are structured in a given society. The aim of this paper is to measure the quality of governance at local level, and particularly to assess effectiveness of governance in Bida Township using Worldwide Governance Indicator (WGI) Framework. The objectives of the research are to identify different stakeholders involved in governance at the local government level and to examine the performance of good governance in Bida Township using WGI. The research was conducted using two stage sampling technique: the first stage divided Bida Township into 4 clusters while the second stage used random sampling technique to select respondents in the selected clusters. The research employed the use of questionnaire administration and in-depth interview to obtain responses from residents and the Local Government officials. The sample size for the research in the four neighborhoods was 350. Data obtained were analysed using the Worldwide Governance Indicators (WGI) to understand governance effectiveness in Bida Township. The result indicated that the performance of governance by all the stakeholders is low (Voice and Accountability 2.27; Political Stability 2.32; Government Effectiveness 1.22; Rule of Law 2.78; Control of Corruption 2.61 and Regulatory Quality 2.44). The performance shows that all the variables fall below standard of 3.50 on the scale of WGI. Therefore, the study recommends that more stakeholders who will employ Governance Framework for effectiveness in executing meaningful project for developmental purpose should be invited into the township and the Local Government Council should have a framework for Good Governance effectiveness and efficiency in order to boost the economy, be accountable and transparent so as to improve Governance performance in the study area.