Civil Society Organizations and Community Development in Nigeria: An Assessment of Justice, Development and Peace Commission in Enugu State

Abstract

The study examined the role of Civil Society Organisations with particular reference to Justice, Development and Peace Commission (JDPC) in community development in Enugu state, Nigeria. Previous studies on the role of civil society organizations in community development have been largely generic in orientation resulting in a dearth of area studies and organization-specific analysis; thereby necessitating a re-systematization of data by focusing on the role of JDPC in community development in Enugu state. The study hypothesized that the intervention of Justice, Development and Peace Commission enhanced infrastructural development and equally improved human capacity development in Enugu state. The study, which was anchored on the theory of neoliberalism, employed qualitative data gathering technique and analyzed the data so gathered using qualitative descriptive analysis. On the strength of available empirical evidence, the hypotheses were validated. The study nonetheless noted that though the intervention of CSOs in community development is both useful and desirable, such interventions do not provide sufficient alibi for the state’s abdication of its primary responsibility of providing for the well-being of the citizens as currently the norm. It therefore recommended the strengthening of state institutions to perform their constitutional responsibilities and the provision of enabling environment for private businesses to stimulate enduring development.