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Tropical Agricultural Research & Extension 9, 2006 Economic activities of migrant rural dwellers in Irewole local government area of Osun state, Nigeria. * O.B. Oyesola, M.G. Olujide, and J.O. Oladeji Department of Agric. Extension and Rural Development University of Ibadan, Nigeria. Accepted 20th May, 2006 ABSTRACT Inadequate natural resources and environmental problems have led to the migration of different ethnic groups across the ecological zones of Nigeria. Therefore, this study examines the economic activities of migrant rural dwellers in Irewole Local Govern- ment Area of Osun State, Nigeria. Two communities, Wasinmi and Bamigbola were purposely selected for this study and one hundred and eighty-eight migrants were ran- domly interviewed. The result showed that majority of the respondents were within the age range of 16-47 years old, married and of the following ethnic backgrounds Yoruba, Ibo, Ashanti from Ghana, Igede (Benue State), Ibira (Kogi State) and Ngas (Plateau State). They were literate with household size of less than six. They engaged in the following economic activities – food crop production, livestock production, trad- ing, hired labour on farms, transport business, processing of oil palm, cassava and other minor economic activities like honey collection, digging of wells and sponge mak- ing. These activities were done for both household consumption and sales. Majority of these activities are carried out in both wet and dry seasons with the exception of hired labour, honey collection, digging of wells and sponge making which were done during the dry season.Majority identified inadequate funds, water supply, low sales, lack of basic amenities, health hazards, and lack of agricultural input as major problems fac- ing them in the study area. Result of analysis on test of relationship between educa- tional status and level of involvement in economic activities is significant (x2 = 7.624, p 0.05). Significant difference exists in the economic activities of male and female re- spondents (t = 2.42, p 0.05). It is therefore recommended that a soft revolving loan scheme, extension services and other social amenities be provided to improve the eco- nomic activities of migrant rural dwellers in the study area. Key words: Economic Activities, Migrant, Rural Dwellers, Constraints INTRODUCTION other, either on temporary or permanent basis. It is basically a reflection of the im- Migration refers to the movement of peo- balances in opportunities and life chances ple from one geographical location to an- which exist between places. The move *Corresponding author 44 O.B. Oyesola, et al., : Economic Activities of Migrant Rural Dwellers ment may be from rural to urban, rural to 2003). A good example is the movement rural and more recently, from urban to ru- of Ife-Modakeke people out of their terri- ral. Also, the movement can be from one tory to nearby urban and rural areas due to ecological zone to another. Various rea- conflict in their homeland (Ekong, 2003). sons had been identified as causes for the Adverse physical conditions in the envi- movement of people from one location to ronment such as drought in the case of pas- another. In Nigeria, the lack of opportu- turalists, flood, exhaustion of pasture (in nity to earn cash income during the slack case of nomadic farmers), development of season in the farming calendar has engen- road transportation and improved commu- dered migration among Hausa farmers nication systems and many other reasons (Jabbar et al., 1995). Rural-rural wage have been found to contribute to the differential may also generate migration. growth and spread of migration among For example, the introduction of export rural dwellers. The problem of soil infer- cash crops like cocoa and rubber into south tility, aggravated by gully erosion caused -western Nigeria, led to the migration of the villagers in some parts of Udi, Nsukka farmers from other parts of the country and Awka in Anambra and Enugu States into this region. Another asserted reason respectively, to abandon their villages for migration in the country is the problem (Ekong 2003). Lipton (1976) in his study of insufficient land within the farmer’s of migration from rural areas in poor coun- own territory. This is common among the tries also observed that rural migration ap- Ibo people, who migrate to the south- pears to come from two major economic western part of the country where there are classes. These include the very poor land- more arable land for economic purposes. less and illiterate group and relatively well Likewise, with improvement in education off, better educated and unskilled group. and skills, people with higher education in Various studies (Jabbar et al., 1995; rural areas tend to move out to find com- Oyesola, 2000; Ekong, 2003) had shown mensurate employments in towns and the movement of people from different those with poor or no educational back- ethnic background to various ecological ground migrate to acquire skills (Ekong, zones of the country. Oyesola (2000) 2003). found that Agro pastoralist in Ogun State People also migrate to escape from so- involved in crops, livestock and other in- cial and cultural imprisonment in homoge- come generating activities that are foreign nous rural areas; innovators who want to their ethnicity. Land tenure problems something new and different are generally through inheritance and soil fertility had fired by this motive to migrate (Jibowo, also caused the movement of rural south- 2000). The need to escape from social up- eastern people to the rural southwest for heavals, violence, and political instability economic activities. Recent studies(Albert for example, the movement of the people 1999;Nnozi 2003;Otite 1999) on conflict of Owo from their hometown to nearby have also revealed migration within the urban and rural areas due to political insta- southwest rural areas. Likewise, conflicts bility, suspected or real persecution may in the south south ecological zone have also lead to migration in urban-rural, rural- necessitated migration to the southwest urban or rural-rural direction (Ekong, and due to the cost of living in urban cen- Tropical Agricultural Research & Extension 9, 2006 45 ters, most of them migrated to rural areas tudes 70151 and 70311 and Longitudes to engage in various economics activities 40051 and 40251 east of Greenwich. It is that are available. bounded in the North by Ayedire Local Most of the past developmental projects Government Area, in the West by Egbeda for agricultural and rural development con- Local Government Area of Oyo State, in centrate mostly on indigenous people giv- the Southwest by Ife North Local Govern- ing less attention to non-indigenes. For ment Area, in the South by Isokan Local agriculture to grow and be sustained there Government Area and Northeast by is need to give recognition to non- Ayedade Local Government Area. The indigenes who are residing in most eco- local government area is divided into nomic advantage rural areas. Rural devel- eleven wards, namely Arinkinkin, Aye- opment is not only the provision of social toro, Balogun, Bamidele, Bamigbola, infrastructures but also, the economic de- Ikire, Ikoyi-Ile, Majeroku, Molarere and velopment of individuals that form the ru- Wasinmi. Information gathered from the ral community. Therefore, having a knowl- local government office revealed that ma- edge of economic activities of non- jority of the migrant rural dwellers settled indigenes will provide a working knowl- in Wasinmi and Bamigbola. Therefore, for edge that will inform the intervention to be the purpose of this study, Wasinmi and developed for them. Bamigbola communities were purposively Communities are no more homogenous selected for the study. but heterogeneous, social and economic activities are changing and this will affect Table 1: Distribution of Analysed their well-being. Hence, there is a need to Questionnaire carry out studies on migration so that inter- Sex Estimated Actual ventions that will meet migrant’s needs Freq % Freq % would be provided. Male 160 130 (54.16) The study therefore, provides answers (66.66) to the following research questions: Female 80 58 (24.17) 1. What are the personal characteristics of (33.34) migrants’ rural dwellers in the study area? Total 240 100 188 78.3 2. What are their economic activities? 3. Why do they engage in these economic Source: Field Survey 2004. activities? 4. When do they engage in these eco- Sample Size and Sampling Procedure nomic activities? 5. What problems are they facing on Purposive random sampling was used to these economic activities? select eighty males and forty females from each of the communities giving a total METHODOLOGY sample size of two hundred and forty re- spondents. The Study Area Table 1 presents the distribution of ana- Irewole Local Government Area with Ikire lysed questionnaire. This study intended to as its headquarters is located between Lati interview two hundred and forty respon- 46 O.B. Oyesola, et al., : Economic Activities of Migrant Rural Dwellers dents, but one hundred and eighty-eight verity. Data were collected through inter- respondents were interviewed due to limi- view schedule and analysed using fre- tations on the field of study, such as cul- quency counts, means, percentages, chi- tural reasons where women are not al- square, t-test and Pearson Product Moment lowed to be interviewed and men are busy Correlation (PPMC). on their farms, and some are also involved in processing of oil palm during this pe- RESULTS AND DISCUSSION riod. The survey was conducted between February and May 2004. A. Personal Characteristics of Re- spon Measurement of Variables -dents The dependent variable for the study is Table 2: Distribution of Respondents economic activities. This was measured Sex Fre- Per- by listing all economic activities in rural quency centage areas of southwestern Nigeria from litera- Male 130 69.1 ture, asking respondents to indicate on a 2- Female 58 30.9 point scale of Yes (1) and No (0) the ones Total 188 100.0 in which they are involved.

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