ABSTRACT

Exodus of indigenes from their place of birth to the cities thereby congesting the cities led to this research. Ijebu-North Local Government is an agrarian society where subsistence farming is the main sustenance of the indigenes, but lack of many social amenities supposed to be provided by the government induced  the villagers to migrate to the cities. This research surveyed the conditions that would warrant the indegenes of the rural areas to stay in their villages and make a living. Eleven wards of the Ijebu-North Local Government in Ogun State were used as the case study. Out of a target population of 284,336 four hundred (400) were surveyed with the use of questionnaire. Response rate was 95%. Data collected were analysed using SPSS package and represented in discrete figures, percentages, tables and figures.

Almost half of the respondents live outside their wards.The indegens were aware that good infrastructure would make them stay and work from their homes. Also they identified hospitals, good roads, police stations, churches, and companies/factories as the major infrastructure that would induce them to stay and establish in their villages. It is therefore recommended that those infrastructures should be provided and where available, should be well maintained.

Keywords: Infrastructure, Facilities, Development, Emigration and Immigration, Villages, Local Government areas.

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.0 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The purpose of this background paper is to summarize the key routes through which internal migration impact rural development in Ijebu North local Government and some of the evidence pertaining to these effects in low income areas. The move from mainly rural area to an unbanize area has also impacted on all aspects of human lives. One of the major features of the contemporary urban centers is the ever increasing inflow of people and resources from the rural areas.

These urban centers are usually preferred destinations because of their lopsided share of facilities and opportunities they have and the rural areas are generally backwashed, especially in developing areas.There are the general efforts by governments and their agencies to stem the tide of migration from the rural areas by making them more attractive and receptive to the rural out-migrants by providing the rural areas with infrastructure and facilities that pull people to the urban centers (Olatubara, 2012).

The history of the human race is that of migration. Man, by nature, is designed to be mobile,he moves, as the need arises, from one location to another in search of a variety of things.

1.1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Rate of rural development seem not to be proportionate to the rumoured allocations made to the Ijebu North local Governments. The rural areas like Ago Iwoye,Oru, Ilaporu, Awa, Mamu/Ehin-Etiri, Ako-onigbagbo/gelete, etc, and some town like Ijebu-igbo suffered lack of amenities for good living such as electricity, good water supply,lack of employment, good road networks and other developmental infrastructures. Indigenes were disgusted with their condition of living.

The indigenes migrate from their villages for greener pastures and the artisans (skilled manual worker who uses tools and machinery in a particular craft) leave their homes for the cities. The rural areas are depopulated while the cities are overpopulated. The able-bodied men and women who are energetic and who could stay in their villages to produce food for their aged parents are no more at home.

1.2 RESEARCH QUESTION

The following are the research questions posed to guide the study.

    What are the causes of rural-urban migration in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State?

    What are the consequences of rural-urban migration in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria?

    Why indigenes migrate from there their hometown (rural area) for greener pasture(urban areas)?

    Why and what make the people migrate from the urban areas to the rural areas?

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The main objective of this study was to identify the infrastructures or facilities that will compel the citizens to stay and establish in their homes.

The specific objectives were to be:

    To investigate the local dwellers’ knowledge of the amenities that would stop them from migration to the cities.

    To determine the adequacy of infrastructures in their local government areas. (like the Ago Iwoye, Oru, Ilaporu, Awa, Mamu/Ehin-Etiri, Ako-onigbagbo/gelete, etc.

    To investigate the citizens’ knowledge of self-employment potentials embedded in the provision of social infrastructures.

    To identify factors that make youth or young people to migrate from the identify communities.

    To access the factors that attracts non-indigenes to dwell in the local Government.

1.4 RESEARCH HYPOTESIS

The hypothesis shall goes thus;

Hypothesis 1:

HO: That rural does not have any effect on development.

H1: That rural have a great effect on development.

Hypothesis 2:

HO: That migration does not have any effect on development.

H1: That migration have a great effect on development.

Hypothesis 3:

HO: That there is no correlation between rural and migration.

H1: That there is strong correlation between and migration.

1.5 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

The picture’s que town of Ijebu-Igbo in Ijebu North Local Government Area of Ogun State does its best to present a respectable outlook to the world. Adjudged as the second largest town in Ogun State, Ijebu North is a Local Government Area in Ogun State, Nigeria. Its headquarters are in the town of Ijebu-Igbo and it has an area of 967 km² and a population of 284,336 at the 2006 census. The postal code of the area is 120. Despite being predominantly Christian and Muslim dominated town, observation shows that many natives of Ijebu Igbo,Ago Iwoye,Oru, Ilaporu, Awa, Mamu/Ehin-Etiri, Ako-onigbagbo/gelete, oke sopen,ome,Agbo,e.t.c, still take part in traditional and cultural festivals. This perhaps underscores the large turnout often witnessed during the annual Ojude Oba festival. Apart from the Ojude Oba festival which brings the entire Ijebus together every year, individual Ijebu towns also commemorate their respective version of the carnival-like festival in their respective domain at different times, Although the IjebuNorth(Ijebu-igbo, Ago Iwoye,Oru, Ilaporu, Awa, Mamu/Ehin-Etiri, Ako-onigbagbo/gelete,) is believed to be an agrarian community, residents have little to show for this as they complain of cost of living. For instance, a paint-size plastic which is sold for N500 in Lagos carried a similar price tag when this reporter visited the town in May. “The only advantage we derive is that we have access to fresh farm produces unlike those in major cities. At times we go to their farms to buy what we need. But when talking of prices of these things, we pay as much as those in the cities would pay.” Mrs. FadekemiOnasanya, a resident of the town who sells hide (pomo) said. The hide business is another major thriving business in IjebuNorth beside just like timber business. Both businesses attract influx of customers, particularly from Lagos, to IjebuNorth. Ijebu Igbo is home of quality and cheap timber, says Okuneye, a saw miller. This explains the reason for the ubiquitous nature of saw mills in every nook and crany of the town. “I can say this is one of the major occupations of the people in this town. People from Lagos, Oyo and other parts of Ogun State come to Ijebu Igbo in search of quality and cheap timbers,” he said. But some customers who visit the town in search of quality and cheap timber end up paying even far higher than the real worth of the timbers they purchase.

In order not to fall into this trap, a person planning to buy timber inIjebu Igbo may need to come along with somebody who understands and speaks the Ijebu dialect and have good knowledge of the business. “Inability to speak Ijebu dialect is one of the give-away sign through which dealers identify a stranger and many of them would capitalize on that. And except the person demonstrates good knowledge of the business, he may end up buying low quality timbers,” he said.

Without work, idle hands will be used by the devil to foment trouble in the camouflage of finding food to eat. This research hoped to highlight ways the local governments could help to generate employment for its jobless citizens to reduce crime rate as a result of unemployment and mass exodus of citizens from the villages to the cities resulting in overcrowding with its hazards.

1.6 SCOPE OF THE STUDY

This study will be confined to the assessment of rural development and migration in Ijebu-North local government, therefore this study will be united to people or respondent within Ijebu-North local government (Ijebu-Igbo, Ago Iwoye,Oru, Ilaporu, Awa, Mamu/Ehin-Etiri, Ako-onigbagbo/gelete).

1.7 DEFINITION OF THE TERMS

Migration: to move from one country or place to live or work in another.

Rural: a rural area is a geographic area that is located outside cities and the centers of towns

Town: a town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city.

Development: The process of adding improvements to a parcel of land, such as grading, subdivisions, drainage, access, roads, utilities.

Infrastructures: The fundamental structure of a system or organization. The basic, fundamental architecture of any system (electronic, mechanical, social, political, etc.) determines how it functions and how flexible it is to meet future requirements.

Facilities: Something designed, built, installed, etc., to serve a specific function affording a convenience or service.