ANALYSIS OF RURAL EMPLOYMENT PROMOTION IN SOUTHERN NIGERIAN STATES

Abstract

This paper identified some factors influencing rural employment promotion (REP) in three Southern Nigerian states. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 60 rural communities in Southern Nigeria thus; In all, 300 respondents were sampled and interviewed using structured and unstructured interview schedules. Descriptive statistics such as frequency, measures of central tendency and dispersion were used to describe and summarize the data collected. Inferential statistics such as Pearson product-moment correlation and regression analyses were used to make deductions. While the result showed that infrastructure variable (bank availability) had a significant relationship with REP at P ? 0.05 level, institutional variables (Government and community support) had the same relationship with REP at P ? 0.01 and 0.05 levels, respectively. Also, project characteristics variables (project type and corresponding capital outlay) had positive and significant correlation with REP at P ? 0.01 level of significance. The values of the variables are as follows: Household size (r = 0.26); education (r = 0.30); income (r = 0.31); and cosmopolitess (r = 0.22). Others arc contact with government agencies (r = 0.28); association membership (r = 0.15); information source(s) (r = 0.11); and farm size (r = 0.3 1). Results also revealed that household size (t = 1.84), education level (t = 2.09). income (t = 3.36), contact with government agencies (t = 1.95), farm size (t = 1.96), bank availability (t = 2:12), family support (t = 2.16), and project type (t = 2.83) explained 28.3 percent of the variations or changes in REP score. Provision of basic and functional services (such as education, health care, water, electricity and motorable roads) and refocusing of empowering activities, among others, are vital for rural employment promotion drive in Southern Nigeria.