Resource-Centred Rural Development Plans in Nigeria: Policies, Impacts, Challenges and Opportunities

This paper discusses the role and impacts of resource availability in driving rural development in Nigeria. Particular emphasis is focused on understanding how the availability of specific resources in Nigeria’s rural areas have shaped policy discourses, initiation and implementation processes. From the discussion, rural resources have been important in driving rural policy changes both positively and negatively. Agricultural-centered rural development policies were important in developing the rural areas both at pre-independence and in the period of commercial petroleum oil exploration. However, the commercial exploitation of petroleum resources in the 1970s served to undermine relevant and potential policy drives aimed at developing available rural resources. In this way rural resources have failed to transform into opportunities for development despite its contributions to the national economy. It is the recommendation of this paper that a national diversification be emphasized beyond petroleum oil dependence. More emphasis should be placed on strengthening agricultural productivity as well as exploring other natural resources potentials. These will reposition the rural areas as centers of development activities.