By Ṣeun Sedẹ Williams
The address delivered by Ahọlu Claudius Dosa Akran at the 1961 International Conference on Community Development held in Seoul, South Korea, represents a crucial historical artefact for understanding both the ideological foundations of postcolonial Nigerian development and the potential pathways toward addressing contemporary Badagry’s underdevelopment. As both the Akran of Badagry and Western Nigeria’s Minister of Economic Planning and Community Development, his position embodied a unique blend of traditional authority and modern governance that gave his development philosophy particular authenticity and practical grounding. His ideas, which are released along with this essay, remain remarkably relevant for contemporary Badagry because they anticipated the tensions between local agency and external intervention that continue to undermine development projects across Nigeria.
Akran defined community development as a movement designed to promote voluntary participation, with heavy reliance on local initiative, supported by technical services that encourage rather than replace self-help. This definition explicitly rejected the colonial approach, where British development officers imposed projects like a wealthy father instructing his children about what was good for them. Under colonialism, Akran observed, community development existed separately from actual community life, neither influencing nor influenced by the organic history of the villages themselves. The result was abandoned infrastructure, from unused latrines to neglected roads, because communities felt no ownership over projects imposed from above. His critique also extended to dictatorial models where visible progress comes through compulsion, arguing that such approaches fundamentally contradict the civil liberties essential to genuine development.
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| Adapted from "The Concept ofCommunity Development in Western Nigeria and Its Historical Perspective" By C.D. Akran |
What makes Akran’s framework historiographically significant is his insistence on rooting modern development in local structures and grassroots institutions. He identified indigenous systems like communal farm clearing, age-grade task assignments, and Esusu savings groups as foundations requiring only slight updates to serve contemporary development goals. This sharply departed from 1960s modernisation thinking, which typically viewed traditional structures as obstacles requiring wholesale replacement. Akran instead articulated what social scientists today call participatory development, recognising decades in advance that sustainable development must build upon rather than demolish existing social networks and practices.
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| Adapted from "The Concept of Community Development in Western Nigeria and Its Historical Perspective" By C.D. Akran |
Akran’s practical innovations in Western Nigeria demonstrate his philosophy in action. The literacy campaign model shared responsibility among village committees, local government councils, and regional government, with each level contributing distinct resources while maintaining local ownership. Training camps and youth club movements deliberately combined civic education with traditional cultural forms. Akran’s system of dividing Western Nigeria into blocks of ten villages, each developing consensus-based plans through assemblies where villagers met with technical experts, represented remarkable bottom-up planning for its era. These plans would aggregate upward into divisional, circle, and ultimately regional frameworks, ensuring that overall development responded to local priorities.
For contemporary Badagry, grappling with infrastructural deficits, youth unemployment, and political marginalisation relative to other parts of Lagos, Akran’s framework offers critical insights. First, his emphasis on voluntary participation and indigenous initiative suggests that Badagry’s challenges cannot be solved through state-imposed megaprojects alone, however well-intentioned. Rather, true development must activate existing community structures, from traditional institutions and community development associations to civil society organisations and women’s societies, as well as youth groups and student unions. Second, Akran’s focus on leadership training and civic education through institutions like youth clubs and adult literacy campaigns points toward human capital development founded on cultural continuity. Third, his model of development financing, where communities provide labour and land while government offers technical expertise and partial funding support, creates genuine partnership and ensures local ownership.
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| Adapted from "The Concept of Community Development in Western Nigeria and Its Historical Perspective" By C.D. Akran |
Practical recommendations flowing from Akran’s vision would involve establishing community development blocks across Badagry Division, facilitated by thought leaders who could connect communities with relevant expertise. Each block would develop participatory plans identifying local needs and available resources, with government providing matching grants rather than fully funded projects. Youth organisations could be revitalised around both cultural preservation and modern skills, following Akran’s model of arts festivals celebrating indigenous heritage while preparing young people for contemporary economic participation. Adult education could expand beyond basic literacy to include entrepreneurship, civic engagement, and leadership development, delivered through community institutions rather than external agencies.
Perhaps most importantly, Akran’s framework insists that Badagry’s development must emerge from within, building upon its unique historical experiences, cultural resources, and institutional capacities. His warning that development champions must become celebrants of the marriage between old institutions and new knowledge remains profoundly relevant. Too often, contemporary development initiatives in Badagry have replicated the colonial pattern Akran critiqued, imposing external visions without adequate consultation or integration with local realities. Reviving his vision means trusting Badagry’s communities to identify their priorities, mobilise their resources, and drive their own development when provided with genuine partnership rather than paternalistic intervention.
This approach requires patience and political will, but as Ahọlu C.D. Akran understood from his dual position as traditional ruler and modern minister, sustainable development admits no shortcuts around authentic community ownership.
Download "The Concept of Community Development in Western Nigeria and Its Historical Perspective,” By Aholu C. D. Akran
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