Social Works and Community Development in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State

Historically, Community development in most part of the world particularly Africa and in Nigeria has been sluggishly pursued. To enjoy modern amenities of society, and to have a vibrant economic status, Social workers have an important role in helping people to improve their community life style. Thus, this study seeks to investigate the relationship between social work and community development in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. To achieve this objective, Community Development theory was used to anchor the study. The study used a survey design, with 246,600 population of Essien Udim, LGA of Akwa Ibom State (2025 estimated). The sample size was four hundred (400), which was determined using the Taro Yamen formula's with 95% confidence interval. The main research instrument used in collecting data for this study was a well-designed questionnaire whose responses provided the necessary data for validating the research hypothesis. The Data for this research were collected from two sources: primary and secondary sources. The reliability coefficient of the items created to assess the relationship between social work and community development was 0.87. The method of data analysis was the Karl Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient. The findings revealed that there exists a significant relationship between social work and community development in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State. Based on the findings, the study recommended, among others, that Essien Udim Local Government Area should increase the number of professional social workers in various communities to advise and give support to leadership and development issues. Also, Essien Udim Local Government Area should increase social work awareness at the community level. More so, the benefits opened to individuals and members of associations both locally and internationally be highlighted.