Challenges of Mobilization And Participation For Community Development: A Study Of The Internally Displaced Person Of Bakassi Peninsular, Nigeria

Abstract

Mobilization and participation have extraordinary implication on the socio-cultural lives of the people of Bakassi, especially for the kind of forceful resettlement on the citizenry. This study was conducted through a participatory rural appraisal technique (survey research) in order to ascertain and evaluate the basic needs of a typical rural setting like Bakassi in Nigeria, with a view of understanding the strategies for rural mobilization and participation in a resettled environment. The study intended to explore on the social-economic, political and cultural factors affecting the internally displaced persons of Bakassi. The study was premised on invalidating contemporary resettled issues affecting a resettled area like Bakassi. The people are not appreciative of government efforts because of the frustration encountered as displaced persons. Data for this study were obtained from two hundred (200) respondents in the study area through a combined set of research instrument and Focus Group Discussion (FGD). The respondents were randomly selected from the various areas under the study. Two null hypotheses were tested using the x² test of significance. The findings of the study have among other things shown that the people of Bakassi are not properly resettled inspite of government huge resources committed to the area; majority of the people are poor and under fed, the settlers are without good drinking water, no access to good education and poor health delivery services. The study therefore, recommends that government should have the political will to design and implement policies targeted at ameliorating the plight of the resettled Bakassi people especially in the provision of affordable social services and empowering the poor to design and implement policies having the potential of meeting the basic needs of the people. Government should also embark on proper and most effective resettlement that could make the people closer to the sea, in other to continue with their normal marine occupation.