Journal of Alternative Perspectives in the Social Sciences ( 2010) Vol 2, No 1, 88-111 88 Self-Help as a Strategy for Rural Development in Nigeria: A Bottom-Up Approach Akpomuvie, Orhioghene Benedict, Delta State University (Abraka, Nigeria) Abstract: This paper is aimed at examining the imbalances in the living conditions of the urban and rural dwellers and the determination of the rural poor to bridge this gap through self-help development activities. The odds against rural development in Nigeria were rather immense. The configurations of government plans were tailored strictly to facilitate the exploitation of the natural resources of the rural areas for the development of the few urban centres. Consequently, most of the initial infrastructural development in Nigeria were skewed in favour of the urban areas to the detriment of the rural areas where the majority resided and inadvertently created a dualism. Since the government was “far” from the rural areas in terms of development and with the realization that government alone cannot provide all their needs, the people had to learn to “do-it-themselves”. This alternative strategy of self-help and the communitarian philosophy of the people has not only accelerated the level of growth but has also spread the benefits of development to the rural areas in Nigeria. However, where the government is properly playing its expected role, self-help activities should complement rural development and not replacing it. 1. Introduction One of the major characteristics of the developing countries is the increasing disparity between the urban and rural areas. This gap according to Igboeli (1992) has its roots in the neo-classical economic theories which presumed that “development can be accelerated by concentrating investments in the cities and that rural poverty will be ameliorated by the trickle down of benefits from the urban industrial growth”. With the so-called growth-centred strategy, the developing countries have continued to witness imbalances in the living conditions between the urban and rural dwellers. Consequently, development theories over the years have been searching for alternative strategies that