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Rural Infrastructural Development A Means Of Combating Rural-urban Migration In Nigeria
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND
The rural development
constitute strategic sector in every nation’s economy and their rapid
development and modernization have gained the attention of policy makers
and government all over the world. This is because a sizeable majority
of the population lives therein, therefore, the future of most countries
especially the developing ones depend largely on it. Schumacher (1983)
defined rural development as developing the skill of the masses to make
them self-reliant through instructions which supply appropriate and
relevant knowledge on the methods of self -help.
Ekpe (2006) viewed
rural development as the provision of physical infrastructure. The logic
that under-girds this conception is that, the provision of such basic
amenities like schools, hospitals, recreational facilities, good road
network, electricity and pipe-borne water (portable water) are capable
of transforming the rural communities and thus make them attractive for
habitation. This is contended to be the most functional way of reversing
rural Urban Migration.
However, available literature on rural areas
reveal that population is the main characteristic that differentiates
rural from the Urban areas especially in the developed countries.
Onibokun (1987) had in a policy paper on rural development revealed that
rural population constitutes 70-80 % of the entire population of some
countries particularly in the third world nations. Based on this single
characteristic which is inadequate. Using the census figure 0f 140
million according to the national population census of 2006, over 70% of
Nigeria are in the rural areas .population cannot be the only
determining factor for a rural area in Nigeria because there are some
features that unmistakenly tell people when they are in a rural area
(Ladi et al, 2009).
On the basis of this, what constitutes rural
population or environment is instructive in this regard. Idike (2000)
observes that the main features of rural areas are depression,
degradation and deprivation. Many rural populations are immersed in
poverty so palpable that the people are the embodiment of it. According
to him, in many rural areas in Nigeria, basic infrastructure, where they
exist at all, are too inadequate for any meaningful development.
Physical infrastructures like motorable roads are often lacking. The
villagers and their livestock in many rural villages depend on shallow
wells or guinea worm infested ponds for their water supply. The
villagers most of whom are farmers, work the land from sunrise to sunset
to provide food that are cheaply bought up by middlemen (who can risk
playing the usually deplorable roads) for resale to the city dwellers at
very high profits.
Elaborating further, he said, in and around the
villages one readily comes across children with distended tummies and
spindly legs who are obvious of a better milieu from birth these ‘living
that are better dead’ infants, toddler’s, youth etc. are Malnutritioned
and they have no access to those amenities that make like worthwhile.
Many rural communities in Nigeria have built schools through self-help
efforts but most of the schools lack necessary teaching aids like
science equipment, sitting and writing desks etc. Qualified teachers
refuse serving in most of these areas because they are considered
inhabitable for human beings without basic social amenities.
The
above assertion is not only valid and tenable, it would be out off place
to say that what constitutes rural population or environment is less
than that.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]This study examines Rural Development as a means to combating rural urban migration in Nigeria. The research employed content analysis for secondary data collection and survey research method for primary data collection. Hypothesis was tested using chi-square technique. The Harris – Todaro model (HT) as theoretical framework was used for the study. Finding of the research work includes among others, that respondents are not satisfied with the present level of rural development in Nigeria ... Continue reading---
