CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1. Background to the Study
Rural communities are seen to be a key sector in the economy of every country and their fast development and transformation have attracted the attention of the government, stakeholders and policy makers across the world. This is because a considerable greater part of a country’s population lives in these rural communities, thus, the future of a country relies largely on it.
According to the American Bureau of Census, it categorizes a set of individuals residing in a community with a population of not exceeding 2,500 individuals as rural, while in Nigeria, the Federal Office of Statistics sees a community with individuals of not more than 20,000 as rural. Afolayan (2016) posited that rural communities are very easy to identify using a number of criteria aside from the population. Examples of these criteria are, medical facilities, road networks, water supply, communication, education institutions, occupation, electricity, development, industrialization, and so on. According to Laah, Abba, Ishaya and Gana, (2016), occupants in rural communities are less vocal with a poverty culture, as the majority of the occupants barely live above the subsistence level. In most developing countries, rural communities are typically denied of their basic needs of life like health facilities, transportation, education, housing, communication, and so on (Laah et al., 2016).
Rural area, which is the parallel opposite of an urban area, is seen to be the country side whose population primarily engages in agricultural activities such as farming, fishing, rearing of livestock, etc (Ele, 2016). According to Nyaba (2017), approximately 90% of the rural labour force involves directly or indirectly in agriculture. The rural sector is considered to be very important to the socio-economic development of Nigeria. This is because according to Nyagba (2017), the most essential and crucial sector of the country’s population is the rural communities. Corroborating the above statement, Ugwuanyi and Emma (2016) affirmed that the rural area is the major source of capital structure for the country and a principal market for both local and raw materials for industrial processes. Abah (2015) revealed that occupants of the rural areas were found to involve in major economic activities that form the basis for the economic development in Nigeria.
Given the rural area significant contributions to the national economy of the country, developing and enhancing the development of this rural area should be a top priority to government and public administration. This is because the development of the rural sector will further improve and enhance the rural sector ability to contribute more to the overall national growth and development of the country (Nyaba, 2017). In majority of countries across the world, development is most desirous in the rural areas given the bulk of individuals residing in these areas (Laah et al., 2016). The development of the rural sector shows to an extent the degree of national development and the situation of the nations in the development ladder.
Thus, rural development is described in various ways by diverse scholars, which depends on discipline; this is because the approach to rural development is multidisciplinary. Aslam (2014) viewed rural development to be a process geared towards the development of the rural poor, their economy and institutions from a state of waning or low productivity into dynamic process resulting in a high level of living and better quality of life. In the same vein, Schumacher (1983) sees rural development as developing the masses skill so as to make them independent through instructions which supply appropriate and relevant knowledge on the methods of self-help. Rural development is a strategy which is planned to enhance the economic and social life of a certain set of individuals, the rural poor.
Aliy (2018) opined that rural-urban migration takes place at varying levels in each country. Migration from one place to another cannot be inevitable from human nature and states. Migration is either domestic or international (Akanji, 2018). International migration involves the movement of people across international borders or boundaries, for instance, movement of people from Nigeria to the United Kingdom or Canada to Nigeria. Whereas domestic migration involves the rural-urban or urban-rural movement of people with the same territory or jurisdiction, for example, the movement of people from Ibarapa community in Ibadan to Lagos Island. However, the issues and prospects of rural development in Nigeria have been of great concern to the different levels of government as a result of the rate of rural-urban migration.
According to Agyemang and Abu (2016), there are various reasons which account for rural urban migration among rural occupants. Example includes socio-cultural factors where individuals are forced to migrate to avoid several social problems at their place of origin; some migrate due to poor infrastructural development and lack of basic amenities; some migrate in search for better economic opportunities like job opportunities, and so on. Accessibility and ease of transportation and communication has as well been noted to facilitate rural urban migration, this view is based on the extension of road networks from major towns to peripheral-urban and rural areas that resulted in the decrease in transportation cost and improved communication systems (Agyemang & Abu, 2016).
1.2. Statement of the Problems
Given the rural area significant contributions to the national economy of the country, developing and enhancing the development of this rural area should be a top priority to government and public administration. This is because the development of the rural sector will further improve and enhance the rural sector ability to contribute more to the overall national growth and development of the country (Nyaba, 2017). Unfortunately, in the past decades, most developmental plans and efforts of the Nigerian government has focused more on the urban sector which has resulted in the relative neglect of rural areas as evidenced by the lack of basic infrastructure and amenities in the rural areas like good road network, electricity, good water supply, well equipped and functioning health centers, etc (Abah, 2015).
Abonyi and Nnamani (2016) revealed that rural poverty exist in Nigeria despite the prosperity and wealth created by the country’s oil wealth as evidenced by the difficulty experienced in getting basic daily needs such as food, water and shelter. The absence of these basic life needs in the rural areas has made some of the rural occupants migrate to urban centres with high hopes of enhancing their living standard. According to Abah (2015), the deplorable state of the Nigerian rural sector is emphatic and more worrisome is that even the few policies and programs put in place and implemented by government over the years have not generated in any significant improvement in the development of the rural areas in Nigeria (Ezeah, 2011).
Persistent and extreme rural urban migration has brought about a lot of socio-economic difficulties both in the rural and urban areas. McCarthy (2014) opined that extreme urbanization leads to an increase in urban congestion, criminal activities and poor infrastructure such as proper sewage disposal system, safe and portable drinking water, electricity and other amenities, chronic unemployment with the attendant creation of large slums and shanty towns. A lot of developing countries as well as Nigeria have made a lot of attempts to resolve these problems of rural underdevelopment and desertion.
In Nigeria, since the Colonial era till date, consecutive governments have attempted to develop the rural areas where in excess of 75% of Nigerians live in for the sake of attaining balanced growth and development, and discourage rural-urban migration, to no avail (Omonigho, 2019). According to Nwakeze (2016), the population of Nigeria is growing at an annual rate of 2.8percent that of the urban population is growing at 5.5percent; it is important to note that this rate is among the highest in the world today. Therefore, this calls for urgent measures to be taken towards fast tracking rural development in the country in order to minimize urban population explosion.
Despite the importance of rural development in reducing rural urban migration, however, only a few studies have been conducted in this regard, which is the gap this study will fill by examining rural development, a means of combating rural urban migration in Nigeria.
1.3. Research Objectives
The primary objective of this study is to examine rural development, a means of combating rural urban migration in Nigeria (2015-2021). The following specific objectives are to;
- determine if rural development can serve as a panacea for rural urban migration
- examine the socio-economic causes of rural urban migration
- assess the consequences of rural urban migration on rural development
- find out measures or strategies put in place by the government for rural development
1.4. Research Questions
The following research questions are poised for the study.
- How can rural development serve as a panacea for rural urban migration?
- What are the socio-economic causes of rural urban migration?
- Are there any consequences of rural urban migration on rural development?
- Are there any measures or strategies put in place by the government for rural development?
1.5. Significance of the Study
The finding of the study will contribute to the body of academic knowledge on rural development and its substantive effect in combating rural urban migration in Nigeria.
In addition, the finding will help find out the socio-economic causes of rural-urban migration and its consequences on rural development; as this will help provide the government with adequate information they can use to develop strategies to curb the situation.
The finding will reveal the degree of the problem to relevant stakeholders and policymakers so that they can put in necessary measures and policies that will develop the rural areas in order to reduce rural urban migration.
Lastly, the study will serve as a reference material to future researchers who might want to carry out a study similar to this in the future.
1.6. Scope of the Study
The study focused on rural development, a means of combating rural urban migration in Nigeria with special reference on its influence on the socio-economic activities and lives of rural dwellers, causes of rural-urban migration and measures or strategies put in place by the government to combat the menace of rural urban migration. This study focused on a period of 6years (i.e. 2015-2021). The study will make use of the secondary approach to gather data which shall be sourced through journals, reports, articles, newspapers, treaties, textbooks and various sources online.
1.7. Operational Definition of Terms
Rural area: refers to a remote area located outside cities and towns with a relatively low population density and small settlements.
Rural development: is the process of enhancing the quality of life and economic wellbeing of individuals living in relatively isolated environments.
Migration: refers to the movement of people across a specified boundary for the purpose of establishing a new or semi-permanent residence.
Rural urban migration: is a process of population shift from rural areas to urban areas with attendant increase in proportion of people living in urban areas.
Infrastructure: refers to the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities needed for the operation of a society or enterprise.
1.8. Organization of the Study
This study is classified into five chapters. Chapter one is the introduction, research problems, research questions, objectives of the study, scope and significance and operational definition of terms. Chapter two focused on the literature review that reveals the past findings as regard the topic under study. Chapter three focuses on rural development and factors affecting rural development. Chapter four provides the empirical findings on how rural development can serve as a panacea for rural urban migration; the socio-economic causes of rural urban migration; the consequences of rural urban migration on rural development; and measures or strategies put in place by the government for rural development. Chapter five provides the summary, conclusion and recommendations
