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EFFECT OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC
INFRASTRUCTURE ON RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study
The
quest for rural development globally, calls for critical assessment of the
relation between socio-economic infrastructure and rural development.
Socio-economic infrastructures such as road, power, education, healthcare
service, communication, water, and market are very essential for rural
development and job creation which in turn, improve the standards of living of
the rural people and reduces the incidence of rural poverty. According to
Egunjobi (1987), the importance of infrastructure to rural socio-economic life
can be seen from three perspectives. First, they stimulate economic activities.
Second, they promote societal welfare and thirdly, they prevent rural
depopulation. The United Nations (2013) report indicates that, over much of the
globe, rural poverty is on the increase. About 1.2 billion people of the world
live on less than a dollar, and this is attributed to insufficient, or lack of
socio-economic infrastructure that would stimulate and facilitate
socio-economic activities which in turn, empowers the rural people and
subsequently, improve their well-being. The Regional Economic Communities
(RECs) have been identified as the building blocks for improving the well-being
of the rural people, and infrastructure is perceived as the key catalyst to
transforming Africa. Numerous studies, analysis and forums, conducted by the
African Development Bank (AfDB) and others, have brought out the fact that one
of the biggest constraints to Africa‘s growth and competitiveness has been
inadequate and underperforming infrastructural facilities such as schools,
market, electricity, road, and healthcare. The key to unlocking Africa‘s growth
potential was investment in its infrastructure, particularly in education which
is central to the development of individual, community as well as the overall
development of a nation. Despite these potentialities of education in rural as
well as national development little priority is given to the education sector.
For instance, previous federal budgets have depicted this negligence where from
2007 to 2014 the budget for education has been insignificant compared to other
sectors as in 2007 what was allocated to education was 12%, in 2008, 10%, in
2009, 11%, in 2010, 9%, in 2011 9.5%, in 2012, 8.43%, in 2013, 10.7%, in 2014,
8.4% respectively (Federal Ministry of Education, 2014). This has indicated
that education has not been accorded the desired priority in the national
budgets as this is far below the United Nations‘ benchmark of 26% minimum for
education. The Millennium Development Goal (MDG), with input from African countries,
recently completed formulating the Programme for Infrastructure Development in
Africa (PIDA). This continental initiative, based on regional infrastructure
projects and programmes, which will help to address the infrastructure deficits
that severely hampers Africa‘s competitiveness within itself and in the world
market. Continuing growth and prosperity would swell the demand for
infrastructure, already one of the continent‘s greatest impediments to
sustainable development. Successive Nigerian Governments at various periods had
launched different programmes aimed at development the rural areas some of
which include, Agricultural Development Project (ADP), River Basin Development
Authority (RBDA), and Directorate for Food, Road and Rural Infrastructure
(DFRRI). Ariyo (1991), concludes that, in most scholarly attempt to evaluate
the performance of ADP, RBDA, and DFRRI, in terms of real extent, effectiveness
and impact, the size and target population reached, level of production
attained, and the quantity and quality of the infrastructure developed, these
institution‘s achievement are un-impressive. According to him, rural
development institutions such as those mentioned have produced limited result consequently
leading to the past deficiencies which include proliferation of institutions,
lack of capacity building, institutional duplication, in-adequate funding,
unjustified public intervention and wrong policy. The federal Government has in
2013, initiated a new policy on infrastructural development in order to correct
the past mistakes. The National Integrated Infrastructure Master Plan
(NIMP)which is 30-year national integrated plan was developed by stakeholders
to tackle the problem of inadequate infrastructure for the medium and long term
period and has been has been dully approved by the Good luck Jonathan‘s
administration. The NIMP required a total investment of $3 trillion over a
period of 30 years from 2013 to 2043. The sectors for investment includes:
energy, about $1 billion; transportation $775 billion, agriculture, water and
mining $400 billion, housing and regional development $350 billion, ICT $325
million, social infrastructures $150 billion and vital registration and
security $50 billion.
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