IMPACT OF MIGRATION ON NIGERIA ECONOMIC GROWTH

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IMPACT OF MIGRATION ON NIGERIA ECONOMIC GROWTH

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the study

It has become a thing of pride to have at least one member of the household living outside the shores of the country in Nigeria. The picture that readily comes to mind is that of prosperity and unlimited opportunities for other members of the household or extended family to benefit from the success of the first person. This would appear logical given that the ‘member abroad’ would send some foreign currency home, eventually get established and be able to give information that could help others access the same opportunity. The expectation is even more logical if the individual happens to be in a developed country in Europe or in the United States of America because such countries offer a higher standard of living and a better quality of life for all cadres in the society. Such an environment and expectations of life are not readily accessed by all in Nigeria, hence the driving force to see a ‘better life’, spread the joy and share the goodies.

But how does it start? And from where does it start? The inequality of the society gives credence to the fact that for many, migration is the window through which they can improve their income, have educational opportunities and improve the prospects of their future generation. As such people move both within the country and across international borders with the expectation that they will have access to better opportunities in the destination location in order to benefit themselves, their immediate families and communities. The movement from one part of a country to another for example from a hamlet to a village and later from a village to a town is the usually the start and the characteristic patter of migrating. One moves to a place considered to be better or to have more opportunities. Several push and pull factors are responsible for this but some factors could be peculiar to the individual e.g. cultural stigmatization.

In Nigeria, rural-urban migration is a feature of many regions. The choice of destination depends on several factors but is significantly determined by the extent of the network which exists there. For this reason, rural areas are abandoned for a ‘better’ life in the city. This movement has dual perspectives: the loss of human resource on one hand and the benefit in form of remittances on the other. The focus in the short run on the remittance benefits makes migration desirable but the long term impact on the family, the society and the individual at large could have negative consequences.

This paper makes a critical assessment of the causes of migration and its consequences in the south east region primarily because the rate of migration is known to be highest. The objectives therefore are:

• To profile the cause of rural urban migration

• To examine the benefits to the migrant family and community or departure • To examine the consequences on the social structure particularly the family

• To raise policy issues from the findings.

According to Nwajiuba (2011, p.4) most migration studies, especially in less developed countries are limited by being anectodonal. Lack of quantitative data on migration especially in less developed countries is well known. There is hardly any data on the numbers, trends and characteristics of migrants abroad. Statistics of flows of investments, remittances, support of charitable work, voluntary humanitarian and development agencies are often lacking. Hence, the source of information for this work is desk research, available data from secondary sources and cross-sectional studies. This paper as such is also an attempt at bringing empirical information together for future reference.

South-East Nigeria refers to the Southern Nigeria that lies east of the Niger River and a little south of the Benue River. Its land area is 8.5 percent but is occupied by about 25 percent of Nigeria’s population. This could be lower when arable land available for farming alone is considered. In terms of vegetation, the region is mainly rainforest with a fringe of derived savannah in the north and mangrove swamp forest in the south bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Ecological conditions of the east are conducive for an impressive diversity of tropical crops. These include fruit and plantation crops, legumes, root crops, cereals and vegetables. The region contributes 68.77 percent of the total palm oil production in Nigeria and 12.33 percent of cocoa production. The region produces a wide range of animal food including fresh water and sea fish, sheep, goats, pigs cattle, poultry and bush meat (wildlife).

The region has a larger share of the Niger Delta, the world’s third largest wetland, covering a vast coastal plain estimated at 70,000 square kilometers. This delta area has a highly extensive freshwater swamp forest characterized by a high concentration of biological diversity and endowed with vast natural resources particularly hydrocarbon deposits like oil and gas (Okorie, 2002, p.34). Presently, exploitation of oil resources is going on in all the states of the region except Anambra, Enugu and Ebonyi States. The region also has an impressive array of over forty ethnic groups. The major ethnic groups include the Igbo, Ijaw, Efik, Ibibio, Annang and Ikwerre.

In the 1960s, the eastern region had high economic growth rates. The economy was purely agrarian, sustained by one major export tree crop- the oil palm (Elaeis guinensis). The region was also reasonably self-sufficient in such food crops as cassava, yam, cocoyam, maize, various vegetables, fruits and plantation crops. Cassava (Manihot spp.), an important food crop, was produced in such large quantities that one year’s harvest usually overlapped into the following years. Rural households took pride in ever-growing size of barns consisting of several varieties of yams. Production of such fruit trees as oranges (Citrus spp.), mango (Mangifera indica), pear (Dacryodis edulis), coconut (cocus nucifera) and cashew (Anarcadium occidentalis) was so successful that marketing was a problem. Aggressive marketing including wholesale auction of entire trees with their fruits had to be adopted to check spoilage (Okorie, 2002, p.36).

In recent times, the bulk of the food needs in the region is met from outside. Major staple foods like rice, yam, and beans as well as beef, onion, tomatoes, pepper and groundnuts come from the northern states while a considerable quantity of cassava flour (garri) comes from the mid-west states. The contribution of the eastern region to food production in Nigeria has become marginal.

A historical perspective of the region shows that the region lost over a million people to starvation during the Nigeria-Biafra war in the late 1960s. The region suffered mass starvation in the 1960s because it was under an embargo that prevented all forms of food imports (OKORIE, 2002). The region appears not to have recovered from this. Other considerations for the poor food situation stem from poverty, traditional farming systems, the relatively small land and higher population densities relative to the rest of Nigeria, socio-cultural factors, political factors and macro-economic factors. These have resulted in low investment levels and productivity of the people. According to Nwajiuba (2011, p.8) Rapid rural population in a hitherto predominantly rainfed, low technology, agrarian area leads to a low level poverty stricken life. The agricultural sector consequently holds no attraction, especially for the youths. Massive ruralurban migration results from this.

The production unit is the household. Households defined as farming households also engage in off-farm activities, and these activities provide most of the household cash income. Women in particular devote time to the sale of the surplus produce and petty trading. Off-farm employment plays a more important part nearer the larger towns than in more remote areas, where less non-agricultural employment opportunities exist. The labor potential of the rural population exceeds the land carrying capacity. Available farm labor amounts to about 1.4 mandays per hectare of potentially cultivable land. This considerable over-supply of labor is no doubt a major cause of the increasing rural-urban migration particularly on the part of the young and ablest segment of the population. The farm family uses less than 50% of its labor potential of 960 man-days (Akinsanmi, 2005, p. 22).

The rate of migration in the region is one of the highest in the country and is fueled by population growth and the adverse economic and political situation in the country. This has led to a continued removal of potential human resource from the primary production sector of Agriculture to other areas such as “ spare parts trading” in urban areas across the nation. In the southeast of Nigeria only about 22% of the people are rural residents. There is a very high degree of rural-urban migration with 78% of indigenes residing outside their homes. About 32% reside within the southeast region but not in their home communities and 14% reside in locations within Nigeria but outside the south east (Nwajiuba, 2011, p. 10)

Adverse economic conditions refer to a state where unemployment and under employment create despondence in the society. Typically in most rural areas, most farm families have excess labor during the peak seasons; those areas located in peri-urban zones may have access to off farm income opportunities which are viable. Those which are not usually get involved in one form of off-farm/household activity which may not be economically viable. The implication is that families are unable to meet their basic needs for a minimum standard of living most of the time. This leads to poverty, food insecurity, malnutrition and general poor health status. In extreme cases despondence and hopelessness may arise and to prevent or forestall other dire consequences, the quest to search out a better living elsewhere is succumbed to.

The poor state of the economy also limits the extent of infrastructural development in the area; these are characterized by poor roads, poor water supply, poor health facilities etc. On the other hand, most towns and cities have a better share of such facilities and better job opportunities. As such inequality in the availability of resources and infrastructures are push and pull factors for the youths. This coupled with increasing population heighten food insecurity and poverty because food supply and employment opportunities will not match the increasing demand. Population growth leads to an increased pressure on existing social infrastructures and poverty and food insecurity in the poor areas. The reflections of poverty in the rural areas include under employment of labor and over use of resources particularly land. This enforces a vicious cycle of low income-low productivity-low resources which pushes individuals or whole families to migrate.

Statement of the problem

There may have been previous researches in this subject. This work gives further explanations and analysis in awareness of professions in business education among secondary schools