ASSESSMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT IN IKOT ABASI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA (A CASE STUDY OF EDEMAYA CLAN, IKOT ABASI)

ABSTRACT

Rural development is aimed at improving and expanding physical facilities towards enhancing the quality of life and standard of living of the people. Population size is an important factor in rural development. When government provides social amenities, communities with large populations are usually favoured because it is more economical and viable to establish social amenities in populous communities with large demand for goods and services. Education is a powerful instrument for the development of man and the community. Rural roads are important elements in rural development as roads facilitate all aspects of development: agriculture, health, education, forestry, fisheries, small scale industries, trade and commerce. Efforts to cause rural welfare must necessarily go beyond the traditional and limited approach of raising per capita income through agricultural development projects to the provision of rural basic needs: health and medical facilities, rural transportation, facilities, electricity, pipe-borne water and schools. The provision of these infrastructures will ensure integrated rural development that entails the promotion of rural productive activities, supportive human resources development and enlargement of enabling rural infrastructure. The survey design used is structured research instrument and data was collected using questionnaire, direct observation, interview and photographs. The population of the clan is 50,492 with a sample size of 397 persons using proportional sample. Data collected were analyzed using multiple linear Regression analysis with the formulation of one null hypothesis and alternate hypothesis, the null hypothesis Ho: was used to test the non significant level of relationship between the standard of living (income status) and rural development while the alternative hypothesis H1: was used to test the significant level of relationship between standard of living (income status) with rural development. Testing the regression analysis, from the table of F-distribution, (17 under 5 at 5%) is 2.8. Since the calculated value is higher than the table value, the null hypothesis is rejected and the alternate hypothesis is accepted. It has been found out that some rural developments indicators under investigation are absent the available ones are not sufficient and dilapidate. Based on the study the level of rural development is low and it is recommended that population of the rural communities should be an essential factor in considering infrastructural facilities, services and utilities provision and the rural planners should be actively involved in planning of the rural communities for sustainable rural communities, rural development agencies should come up with  rural development programmes to improve the standard of living of the clan and government should build  a strong  rural development policies and ensure to their implementation in the rural area.