AN EVALUATIVE STUDY OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC INFORMATION NEEDS OF RURAL WOMEN IN RIJAU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF NIGER STATE.

Abstract

The study examined the evaluative study of socio-economic information needs of rural women in Rijau Local Government area of Niger State. Questionnaire was used as an instrument for data collection and simple percentage distribution was used to analyze the data collected. The study showed the socio-economic information needs of rural women include information on raw materials such as the cost, quality, location, source and dealers/seller, how to obtain loan, cooperative societies and government assistance to artisans, new products, latest/current designs and procedure for production, how to market their products, Information on health such as personal hygiene, food and nutrition, housekeeping, child care and family planning, political issues, government policies, laws and human rights, information on processing and preservation of agricultural produce, information on how to apply improve seeds and information on Mechanization. The study recommended that government should as a matter of emergency provide rural women in Rijau local government with information materials, creating mass literacy programme, improving accessibility and availability of information materials, orientation about the use of library, reducing cost of information materials, increasing capital to finance their business, good storage facilities, construction of good roads and educating them on how to market their goods to get good price.