CAUSES AND PERCEIVED SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF RURAL MIGRATION ON LIVELIHOOD OF SELECTED COMMUNITIES IN MOKWA AREA OF NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The diversity of the ecological features, the varying local resources and location of agricultural activities in rural areas serves the major pull factors for migration directed towards rural areas. The study assessed the causes and perceived socio – economic implications of rural – rural migration on the livelihood of selected communities of Mokwa area of Niger State, Nigeria. A multi stage random sampling technique was employed to select 120 migrant farmers and non – migrants used for the study. The interview schedule was used to elicit information for the study. The responses were analyzed using frequency counts, percentages and mean scores. The results revealed that rural –rural migration is mostly undertaken by young adults within the age range of 30 – 50 years and with low level of education. Environmental degradation factors such as infertile land (41.56%), incidences of flood (23.37%) and inadequate cultivable land (15.58%) were the major push factors causing rural out migration. While availability of cultivable fertile land (56.94%) was the major pull factor that attract migrants to the study area. The perceived socio-economic implications of the influx of migrants to the study area were increased rate of crime (Mean = 4.19), increased political unrest (Mean = 3.79), high level of sexual promiscuity (Mean = 3.64), introduction of new diseases (Mean = 3.31), and increased level of agricultural production (Mean = 3.27). The major problems encountered by the migrants in the study area were inaccessibility to infrastructural facilities (28.57%), insecurity (25.28%) and difficulty in land acquisition (20.88%). The study recommended that there is need to strengthen awareness campaigns and redirection of policies that can check poor land utilization and unsustainable agricultural practices in rural areas to curb the menace of out migration.