Migrations and development policies in Nigeria.

Abstract

The authors of this book chapter conclude that increased urbanization in Nigeria is a product of natural growth and migration. Rural-to-rural migration dominated during the colonial period. Independence was marked by rural-urban urban-urban and return migration streams. The authors posit that the problems of inadequate supplies of housing and clean water in urban centers led to overcrowding and the resulting urban social and health hazards. Urban in-migration was the cause of urban growth. The rural population structure was related to the availability of labor and food production. Rural development depended upon the availability of a resourceful willing and capable young population and reduced out-migration. Urban migrants increased the demand for educational services and strained existing resources. Rapid social changes have led to homelessness and changes in marriage and the family. Nigeria has a variety of climates and geography and abundant natural resources including oil. About 50% of the population is comprised of ethnic groups i.e. Hausa in the north Ibo in the southeast and the Yuroba in the west. During colonial periods large scale migration movements were fueled by social conflicts. Colonial practices increased the demand for labor in colonial agriculture and mining industries forced taxation on the adult population and produced a wage earning labor force. Traditional forms of social organization based on kinship and political or tribal rights were substituted with the European mode of social organization. The colonial regime created new urban centers and a population shift to developing areas in the north …