The Causes and Effects of Rural Poverty in Rivers State: Ikwerre Communities’ Perspective
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iii Covenant Journal of Business & Social Sciences (CJBSS) Vol. 9 No.1, June,. 2018 An Open Access Journal Available Online The Causes and Effects of Rural Poverty in Rivers State: Ikwerre Communities’ Perspective Goddey Wilson, Ph.D Department of Political Science, Faculty of Social Sciences, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuorlumeni, Port Harcourt. [email protected] Abstract: The study examined the basic characteristics of the rural poor as well as the causes and effects of rural poverty in rural Ikwerre communities of Rivers State, Nigeria within the period of 2000-2018. Primary and secondary sources of data were used for this study. Social exclusion theory was adopted as the theoretical framework of analysis on the causes and effects of rural poverty. The study classified the rural Ikwerre poor as cultivators and non-cultivators in the society and characterized rural Ikwerre poor as peasant farmers, hunger prone people, less educated, cheap labour, vulnerable people among others. The study identified the activities of oil multinationals; cult groups and gangs; over dependence on the family heads; gender inequality; discriminating state economic policies; poor orientation and education of the youths among others as the causes of rural poverty in rural Ikwerre communities with its attendant effects on the rural poor and the communities. The study made some recommendations on how to alleviate poverty in rural Ikwerre communities of Rivers State, Nigeria. Keywords: Poverty, rural poor, rural areas, Ikwerre communities Introduction communities of the developing states, Rural poverty is a typical poverty including Ikwerre communities of usually found in the rural areas, which Rivers State in Nigeria. Rural Ikwerre expresses inability of the rural poor communities are characterized by the within the context of socio-cultural, indices of poverty as observed in the political and economic inequality. Khan lack of basic infrastructure, inaccessible (2001) states that rural poverty accounts earth road with poor network, for about 63% of poverty in inadequate market for their farm 1 Goddey Wilson CJBSS (2018) 9(1) 1-14 products, poor health and educational Ikwerre poor and communities of Rivers facilities, constant conflict arising from State, Nigeria. struggle for the few available resources, Scope of the study poor drinking water, and absence of This research was carried out within the security leading to human insecurity in period of 2000-2018 in rural Ikwerre such communities. The indices of communities. The study conceptualized poverty in the rural communities convey rural poverty, and covers the issues of the inability and relative deprivation, the causes and effects of rural poverty in which they suffer and which classify rural Ikwerre communities of the four them as the rural poor. Hence, in this Ikwerre ethnic local government areas research, the rural poor are those living in Rivers State in rural Ikwerre communities, who are Methodology predominantly farmers and classified as In our study on the causes and effects of cultivators and non-cultivators, and rural poverty in Rivers State : Ikwerre migrant labourers, who lack the basic communities’ perspective, we used needs necessary to live well in the primary and secondary data. We used communities. Mosely & Miller (2004) interview and observation methods to see the rural poor as the class of rural collect primary data, and documented people who are largely deprived and facts from journals, books, newspapers, disadvantaged relatively to their reports etc., as secondary data on the counterparts in the urban communities. subject matter, and content analysis as a The deprivation and disadvantage of the tool to analyse the study data. The study rural poor affects their condition of population consisted of the people of the living and by extension the development rural communities in Ikwerre ethnic of the community. Incidentally, rural nationality, covering four (4) local poverty is not the wholesome creation of government areas in Rivers State, the rural Ikwerre poor, but can be namely Port Harcourt City Council; attributed to the forces of social Ikwerre Local Government Area; Obio inequality, capitalist market structure, Akpor Local Government Area; and and inadequate state policies. This Emohua Local Government Area. prompts the rural Ikwerre poor to Conceptual Framework persistently search for a better condition Rural Poverty. of living, either through migration to the To understand rural poverty, it is urban Ikwerre communities or demand important to firstly explain rural area for state intervention programmes, as and poverty separately, and later rural every Ikwerre person desires to live and poverty as a concept. Rural area within survive, without the fear of hunger, the context of community existence is scarcity, and human insecurity prevalent explained as the area geographically in the communities. The prevalence of located outside the frontiers of the urban poverty in rural Ikwerre communities areas/cities. Ojukwu (2013) explains has placed the rural poor as helpless rural area as the area that is prominently class of people in Ikwerre communities. a natural environment with basic This motivated our research to examine characteristics of low population the basic characteristics of the rural density, low income, and lack of basic Ikwerre poor as well as the causes and social infrastructure, with the indigenes effects of the rural poverty on rural predominantly farmers. The above 2 Goddey Wilson CJBSS (2018) 9(1) 1-14 characteristics apply in Ikwerre not meeting his social and economic communities located outside the urban objectives, lacks gainful employment area/cities of Ikwerre ethnic nationality and is deprived of the social, health and of Rivers State. Many scholars, educational infrastructure. Poverty including Khan (2001) state that a large deprives people, usually the poor, the population of people in developing opportunity of participation and states, including Nigeria, are living in advancement in life, and reduces their rural areas with its attendant dignity in the society. Ekpo (2000) in development challenges. In rural Wilson (2011:67) adds that poverty is a Ikwerre communities for instance, large situation of inability characterized with population of the people live in low income and low consumption in the conditions where they lack basic society. The above views explain the infrastructure, access to basic needs of prevailing conditions of the rural poor in life, have low income and consumption Ikwerre communities, as they are often rate, and are predominantly peasant classified as people with low socio- farmers, who employ crude farm tools economic, political, and technological in their farming. Indeed, these are the ability, who suffer low income and rural poor in rural Ikwerre communities. consumption rate, and are not gainfully The rural Ikwerre communities include employed, and lack basic needs of life in Rumu-Odogo 1, Rumu-Odogo 2, their communities. The poverty creates a Evekwu, Ovogo, Agba-Ndele, Egamini- wide gap of socio-economic and Ndele, Akpabu, Ozuaha, Omademe, political inequality between the rural Omudioga, Ubimini, Egbeda, Odoha- poor and urban people. Emohua, Ibaa, Rumuekpe etc., and are Sequel to the above, rural poverty is more located in Emohua and Ikwerre explained as the poverty commonly Local Government Areas than Obio found in rural areas, including rural Akpor Local Government Area and Ikwerre communities, occasioned by Port Harcourt City of Ikwerre ethnic such factors as rural economy, and rural nationality in Rivers State. political system, with the victims In this research, poverty is explained classified as the rural poor. Rural from different perspectives. Fields poverty is further explained within the (1994) sees poverty as the inability of an context of low income capacity, and low individual or family to sufficiently production and consumption rate of the possess resources to satisfy his or her rural people and accounts for their basic needs of life. This proves that inequality. Rural poverty in rural poverty is the inability of both communities reflect in such areas as individual and groups, and is basically inaccessibility to good drinking water, in area of poor standard of living. The poor health care and sanitation, poor above view explains poverty within the housing facility, poor educational context of socio-economic inability in facility leading to high illiteracy rate, the society, and is more of absolute large number of inaccessible earth road, terms. Similarly, Engelama and poor communication facility, and Bamidele (1997) state that poverty is all absence of good market. Mashika, Haan about the individual not being able to & Baden (1997) add that the social cater properly for his/her basic needs indicators of rural poverty include low such as food, shelter, clothing, as well as life expectancy, high infant mortality, 3 Goddey Wilson CJBSS (2018) 9(1) 1-14 poor nutrition, low household budget on states that those who are often socially food, high illiteracy, poor access to excluded are classified as the poor, and health care etc., and see the above are denied access to participate fully in indicators as common index of social socio-economic and political activities and material welfare associated with the in the society. Vroom & Hoff (2013) rural poor. Rural poverty accounts for identified the major areas where the the high incidence of rural- urban exclusion occurs as “insufficient access