RURAL POVERTY AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR DEVELOPMENT AT THE RURAL AREAS IN KOGI STATE

RURAL POVERTY AND ITS IMPLICATION FOR DEVELOPMENT AT THE RURAL AREAS IN KOGI STATE

(A CASE STUDY OF BANDA VILLAGE IN LOKOJA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA)

ABSTRACT

Poverty is said to be a reoccurring decimal in the rural areas, and the effect of this ugly trend has retard development stride at the rural areas in the précised case study has faced some level of lack of some basic need of man which is tantamount to a state of lack, the advent of rural poverty in the economic phase of Nigeria society has introduced under development making life unbearable for the dwellers. The chapter one of this research work made an introduction, chapter two and subsequently made an in-depth review of what poverty entail and the series cap the solution to ameliorate this ugly trend.

CHAPTER ONE

1.1  BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

According to the encyclopaedia, rural poverty refers to the condition or a state of being poor, deficiency in inadequate supply of something and monetary remuneration of the right to own among rural dwellers. World Bank in its own perception viewed rural poverty as the tendency of being destitute, especially of the basic necessity of life like shelter, food, clothing among the rural dwellers.

Other views poverty as lading access to pipe bone water, electricity and some essential social amenities among rural dwellers.

Nigeria like most third world countries otherwise known ad developing countries have common characteristics including exploitive colonial experience and their rural urban polarization, which was unextension of the meaning philosophy adopted by most imperial government.

However, most of these imperical government has this time revolutionized the standard of living of their agricultural communities through their various mechanism.

Since 1970’s, the people centre development has seemly assumed more popularly than the capital centre development owing to the fact that the formal level emphasis on the rural people participation, this is geared towards the anticipation reproduction of rural poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and extreme wallowing in abject squalor.

There is no gain saying the fact that is very pervasive in Nigeria, about 60 percent of Nigeria lives below poverty lines, data on poverty in Nigeria is staggering and it is revealed that only 50 percent of Nigerian population have access to safe and potable water, that about 35 percent of the population do not have access to primary healthcare while most Nigerians consume less than three quarter of the minimum required protein and vitamins intake due to low purchasing power.

Poverty and unemployment were increasing compounded by the over a score of political instability, macro economic policy inconsistencies, low capacity utilization industries and massive turn out of school lever and graduate by our institution of learning. The side effect of the riot inconsistent is that most Nigeria go hungry as a result of the fact that they cannot afford to buy food.

A critical look at Nigeria social-economic formation as a state relation reflects that the entire country is a semi-rural community, this is obvious because of our salient peculiarities associated with Nigeria society.

1.2  STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS

As a way of alleviating eliminating poverty in Nigeria society, there have been series of programme introduced by the Federal Government, which include the following: poverty alleviation programme (PAP), National Poverty Eradication Programme (NAPEP) family economic advancement programme (FEAP) etc. It become surprising that inspite of the above-named programme to cushion the effect of poverty in the society, majority of the Nigerians are still living below poverty lines.

The central problem of this study, therefore is to fund out cause of poverty vis-a-vis its impact on the Nigeria society and proffer solution to the problem.

1.3  THE OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Nigeria is passing through a social economic and technological revolution which is separating from agricultural development, there can be no balance national economic development.

It is on this note that the researcher will attempt to address the following aim and objectives.

1. To identify the cause of rural poverty and its effect on Nigeria society
2. To recommend the development agencies on the need to provide social amenities to the rural condition areas in other to beef up productivity level.

1.4  SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

Central to rural poverty and its effect on Nigeria society is the adoption of most effective and efficient method of planning a desirable change.

It is therefore very imperative to maintain the importance of the study.

1. The study enriches and broaden our knowledge about rural areas
2. The study will enabled us to know why rural poverty is on increase.

1.5  RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research question were formulated to serve as guide to this research work.

1. What are the consequences of rural poverty on the Nigeria society?
2. What are the cause of poverty in the Nigeria rural areas?
3. What are the menace of poverty on Nigeria society?

1.6  SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY

As earlier mention, Nigeria is mainly a semi-rural environment because of the fact that about 70 percent Nigeria reside in the rural areas with above revelation, any study of rural society in Nigeria is incomplete therefore the study should cover all part of the country.

However, given the vast size of Nigeria land mass, of which the study should be concluded and the huge financial implication of conducting the need to restrict the scope/limitations of the study cannot be under estimated. Consequently, the study scope shall be limited to a geographical location of the area cover by Lokoja local government area between 1990 and 2013 as a case study.

Lokoja local government areas was formally ten (10) wards until recently, when the dividend of democracy under the auspices of his Excellency, Prince Abubakar Audu the executive governor of Kogi State, he pronounce the creation of additional (25) local government area to make up (46) all together and Koton Karfi (KKF) local government carve out of Lokoja local government area.

Similarly, the ward were increased from ten (10) to fourteen (14) they include ward A, North, South, Central, Ward B North and Ward B South.

Others are Ward C and Ward D, and E North, Ward E South. The outside ward include; Owara, Oworo West, Agbaja, Kuroko and Igbanla.

1.7  DEFINITION OF TERMS

There are various ways views on the term poverty, but we shall look at various concept as they related to the study.

1. RURAL AREAS DEFINITION: The encyclopaedia Britannica define rural areas as collection of person in a given geographical areas with a population similar in comparing to the area they occupy that is wider in land mass in relative to population that those people are predominantly subsistent farmer who are engaged in production of food stuff, fibres and raw material for the use of the industries in the urban areas.

Another scholar, Brown (1975), view rural area market facility to handle sharp increase in surplus produced, although the definition is limited to market and market facilities alone.

1. POVERTY: According to Ajere (1981), ‘’poverty’’ is a situation where people are lacking purchasing power enough to maintain a reasonable standard of living.

Uzor Igbozurike (1988), in his own opinion, defined rural poverty as a condition of life which rural areas so limited by malnutrition diseases, illiteracy, low expectancy and high infant mortality as to be beneath any rational life of decency.

       U.S. department of health assumed that person at poverty link or living below would have depend or rely on public or privately provided free care to meet their medical need that outlay for other that the most rudimentary supplies couldn’t be made accepted at the risk of won on some necessities.

1. RURAL DEVELOPMENT: Rural development according to Uma Lele (1975), could mean improving the living standard of mass at low income population residing in rural areas and making the process of their development self sustain.

        

Adegboye also view rural development as the development of rural people in such a way to continuous as to enable them to effectively and efficiently utilized their intellect, technologies and resources for further development for both themselves and resources.

World Bank in its own view, observed that rural development is a ‘’strategy design to improve the economic and social life of a specific group of people, the rural area.

It involve the extending of certain benefits or development to the poorest among those who seek a livelihood in the rural areas, the group include small scale farmers, tenet and landless woman.

SOCIETY: The oxford advanced learners dictionary of current English third edition, defined society as a social way of living custom of a civilized community. The sociologist on the other hand defines society as all the system of social interaction carried on by the population within a specific territory that this system is passed on from one generation to the other. Similarly society can be defined as a system where people live together in organized communities.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT: According to United Nation Review of public administration, local government is designed as a political sub-division of a nation or in a federal system, a state which is constituted by law has substantial control on local affairs, including the power to impose faces or exert labour for prescribed purpose the governing body for each and entity is dated or otherwise locally selected.

Local government is also defined in the handbook on the total government reform (1976) as government of the local level exercise through a representative council established by law to exercise power within a defined areas.

       

According to B.C. Nwakow (1992), A local government is a government set up by a central authority or state government as a means of ensuring effective administration of grass root.

1.8  ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY

In order to enhance comprehensive work, this research work is divided into five chapters.

Chapter one deals with background of the study which comprises statement of the problem, objectives of the study, significance of the study, research question, scope and limitations of the study, definition of the key terms.

Chapter two comprise review of related literature on the topic under discourse.

Chapter three is concerned with research methodology which includes population of the study, method of data collection and analysis, problems of methodology and administration and retrieval of instruments.

Chapter four deals with data presentation and analysis and finally, chapter five deal with summary, conclusion and recommendations.