INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT IN BORDER COMMUNITIES: AN ANALYSIS OF THE BORDER COMMUNITIES DEVELOPMENT AGENCY

Abstract

Inclusion strategies are essential for integrating border communities into national development plans.  Ensuring border communities feel valued and supported can increase cooperation in security and economic initiatives. The study examines inclusive development in border communities via the activities of the Border Communities Development Agency (BCDA) to analyse socio-economic development initiatives, community interventions and participation strategies. Idiroko and Seme Border Communities are used as case studies through the theoretical lens of the bureaucratic and inclusive development theory. The mixed-method approach was utilised; questionnaires were analysed using descriptive statistics and interviews with stakeholders in the case study areas to triangulate the data. The findings show that the politicisation of the BCDA as an agency has made it shift from its core mandate of providing physical infrastructures and poverty alleviation in border communities. Also, the study established no significant relationship between the existing infrastructures and social amenities in the Seme and Idiroko border communities and the attainment of all-inclusive development due to inadequate inclusion of stakeholders and fluctuations in government policies. The principle of derivative justice reinforced by the customary ownership of land creates a platform through which the principle of derivation, as stated in Section 162(2) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria, as amended, could be expanded to cater to the needs of border communities. The impoverishment of border communities is a complex problem rooted in structural neglect, regulatory constraints, and inadequate investment. Addressing these issues requires a holistic approach that considers these unique challenges and opportunities.  

Keywords: Border Communities, Customary ownership, Derivation principle, Distributive justice, Inclusive development