ABSTRACT
This
study was conducted to examine the role of transport system in rural
development in Okpe L.G.A of Delta State. It has
been observed that untarred/seasonal roads and foot track dominates in the
study area. Lack of good roads in the study area has great negative impacts on
the socio-economic activities of the rural communities. The reviewed literature showed that transport
system have been faced with numerous problems due to poor road maintenance and
bad road, lack of fund to construct good roads, poor road network. A total of
150 questionnaires were administered to the respondents in the selected areas
of Okpe L.G.A of Delta State. The hypothesis formulated was tested using
Chi-Square techniques. The result of the findings indicates that transport system
has a significant impact on rural development in Okpe Local Government Area of
Delta State. The findings also reveals that transport system has played
significant role in the development of Okpe Local Government Area of Delta
State. The study concluded that there is a significant relationship between the
causes of road accident on urban/rural road and the problems of transport
system in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State. The study recommended that
the government and private organizations should
organize public awareness programs on the dangers of inexperience driving
alongside the positive role of transport system on rural development.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Most
of the journeys made by the rural poor are for subsistence tasks. For them,
access to local facilities and the primary transport network is critical during
times of need, especially for health, social and economic reasons (Ahmed and
Donovan, 2012). Improvements to the primary village network of paths, tracks,
culverts, and access routes that reduce the burden of basic household and
productive tasks, as well as the increased availability of intermediate modes
of transport with larger carrying capacity are likely to have a greater initial
impact on the well-being of the poor in Nigeria rural areas (Kishiue, et al, 2005). Therefore, improving
transport within a village is as important to the poor and very poor as
providing access to markets outside the village. Dakyes and Ogbuli, (2012)
opined that market roads should be designed to follow the Christaller’s traffic
principle and accordingly pass though the largest possible number of villages. They
added that each incoming hinterland to market road ought to have a complement
of dendritic feeder roads branching out into the various villages. Access to
good markets for rural communities to dispose off their farm produce should be
considered a matter of urgency by the government (Todaro, 1981). This will no doubt
enhance the income level of the people thereby reducing the level of poverty in
the rural areas especially in Nigeria. The poor require genuinely integrated
programs of support right through the cycles of production, transportation, and
sale (Owen, 1987). The poor need support to make use of the opportunities that
rural roads may bring. For the poor to travel for productive purposes, the
provision of transport services must be linked to some livelihood and income
diversification activity that builds on or supplements their existing
subsistence activities. Therefore an integrated rural development will be an
inevitable path of success for the rural communities (Starkey, 2001).
It can be established It has been
observed that untarred/seasonal roads and foot track dominates in the study
area. Lack of good roads in the study has great negative impacts on the
socio-economic activities of the rural communities. Studies has shown that
improvement in transportation by given priority in road development will no
doubt enhance the socio-economic activities of the study area thereby improving
the well-being of the people in the area (Dakyes and Ogbuli, 2012).
Atubi
and Onokala (2004b) pointed out that “in human geography, one of the most
fundamental themes is spatial interaction. That spatial interaction involves
the movement of goods and services and people between various centres in space.
In general, when constructing or improving a road network where economical
solution for one road link may not necessarily be the best solution for the
network as a whole. That the cost of implementing one project to high standards
may consume resources that would be better spent over the whole network, or in
filling other gaps in the network with lower standard roads.
Furthermore,
for any meaningful division of labour and specialization in production process
to take place in any society (such as Okpe L.G.A of Delta state) there must be
an efficient and effective means of transport (Atubi and Onokala 2004a). The
various Feeder roads and paths are constructed to connect the interior parts of
the region and this gives room or serve as an advantage to motorcycle (Okada)
and tricycle (Keke napep) transport system in Okpe L.G.A of Delta State.
Rural
areas in Okpe L.G.A of Delta State are characterized by poor roads. In
virtually all the cases, these roads are perpetually in a state of despair.
Yet, it is on these deplorable roads that the rural dwellers trek daily to
obtain water, firewood, farm produce and also to secure services from such
places as markets, schools and clinic (Okoko, 2011). Rural dwellers also rely
on these poorly maintained roads to transport crops, raw materials and food
stuff that are meant for consumption in the urban areas. Rural roads play a
governing role in the development of rural areas. Research scholars are
unanimous and unequivocal in their assertion that rural development is
predicted on efficient rural transportation infrastructure (Idachaba 1981,
Adeniji 2007; Ogunsanya and Ojetola, 1993; Oyekunle, 1995, and Ovbude, 2000).
The
consensus reached by these scholars is that the inadequacy of rural
transportation facilities is an insidious encumbrance to rural development. As
Filani (2008) put it, “one of the major pre-requisites of efficient functioning
of an area is the facility for the movement of people, people, goods and
services quickly and economically” Ogunsany and Ojetola (1993) corroborate
this, when they asserted that the need for transport arises in any economy that
is distributed over space. Ademiluyi and Solanke (2002) vehemently adumbrated
that adequate and efficient rural feeder road network serves as one of the
channels for the collection and exchange of goods and services, movement of
people and dissemination of information. They went further to over that rural
roads are helpful in enhancing rural productivity as well as in strengthening
the socio-economic, cultural and political fabrics and processes of the rural
communities. To use their words, rural road provision forms intrinsic part of rural
development strategies, serving as a mechanism and catalyst for rural
transformation. Scholars have further established a close and positive
relationship between improved rural transport and economic development (Levy,
2016, Ahmed and Hossian, 1990, Howe, 2011). Their contention is that improved
rural accessibility and mobility are capable of reducing the level of poverty
of rural people because the basic necessities of life such as health care
delivery, education to them. Improved accessibility can reduce the degree of
deprivation among rural settlements either within themselves or between them
and the urban market (Olawale, Aloba, and Adetunji, 2010). As a result of these factors, there has been a tremendous demand
for public transport in our towns and villages in recent years. It is against
this background that this study is carried out to look intensively at the role
of transport system in rural development using Okpe Local Government Area of
Delta State as a case study.
1.2 Statement of Problem
One
of the fundamental problems of man since antiquity is that of overcoming the
friction of distance both in space and time. Man has been on the move from one
place to another seeking for a means of survival. The emergence of modern means
of transportation in the world and most importantly in developing countries
like Nigeria has a remarkable influence on the socio-economic development of
rural areas. Transportation to some in the urban settings is a choice not a
concern (Dakyes and Ogbuli, 2012). However, in rural setting the availability
of transportation is often limited if provided at all. Transportation enhances
the process of economic growth in rural areas by making needed services
available to rural dwellers. It has been discovered that the lack of good road
in the Nigeria cities, town and villages makes it difficult for the people to
access good markets for their farm produce as more than 86.6% of roads in the
area are very bad. This was discovered to have affected the socio-economic
activities of the people thereby increasing the level of poverty in the
communities in Nigeria cities and villages (Dakyes and Ogbuli, 2012). Rural
residents need to receive essential social services such as medical care, go to
work, purchase food and household items, attend school events and access many
other services just as their urban counterparts. However, frequent
accessibility is restricted or limited because of the distance to those
services and even when transportation is available, the transport networks are
in bad condition. Most a times special needs that can be alleviated through
medical facilities, social service, educational programmes are forgone because
of distance to be travelled. Lack of good motorable roads in many rural areas
in Nigeria has been the main hindrances to rapid development (Dakyes and
Ogbuli, 2012). This affects maximum exploitation of natural resources,
expansion of trade between communities, neglect on development of human
resources which all result in isolation, and underdevelopment of the rural
areas (Ahmed and Donovan, 2012). Todaro (1981), view development as a
multi-dimensional process involving change in structure, habit attitude and
institution as well as acceleration of economic growth. There is a significance
relationship between transportation and development process. However, the
nature of interaction is still a subject of debate between scholars who say
development depends on many factors such as availability of resources and level
of technology. In all, transportation is of great significance to development
in any society. An efficient transportation system is in many ways, the bedrock
of any social and economic system in terms of improving the quality of life for
the common person. Owen (1987) and Kishiue, et al (2005), have demonstrated
direct relationship between transport and development. He opined that the
nations of the world may be divided into two groups: The mobile; and immobile.
These two groups are categories into five stages as follows: Period of
immobility and traditional society; Period of internal improvement and growth
of trade; Period of greater mobility and higher standards of living reflected
in transportation, mechanization and industrialization; Development of
motorization and the new mobility; and the air-age and conquest (Ahmed and
Donovan, 2012).
Roads
are clearly a critical enabling condition for improving living conditions in
rural areas. However, the distribution of socioeconomic benefits resulting from
a rural road is a separate issue, and there are no guarantees or inherent
mechanisms to ensure that these benefits will be distributed equitably between
the poor and the non-poor in communities (Asian Development Bank, 2006).The
rural areas suffer poor accessibility which in turn has strong negative effects
on the people’s economic activities.
Most of the rural dwellers are farmers much of their
farm produce are lost when they cannot be transported to the markets, cities
and other urban centres (Starkey, 2001). This dampens their productive efforts
and also restricts demand for food crops among villages. Since virtually all
the villages are themselves food crop producers, the effect of this spatial
restriction creates an artificial local glut. This therefore depresses prices
of agricultural produce and has a very strong negative impact on the villagers.
Transportation leads to economic development through the linkage of area of
production with area of consumption (Abegunde et al, 2005).If an area
increases accessibility due to increase in transportation a linkage, its market
potential also increases. Transportation facilitates the movement of raw
materials from rural areas to urban areas as well as the evacuation of finished
goods to the consumer and reduces waste from over production and stabilizes
prices. Recent studies show that Nigeria has had an improvement in road density
but the concentration is mostly in the main town and most rural areas have
remain inaccessible in the absence of roads, farm produce are lost and
production reduced to a minimal level.
Aloba
(2015) highlighted the nexus between rural transpiration and rural development
and noted that no society can exist above subsistence level without a measure
of improvement in its transport system. In his woods, where good surfaced roads
are found in the rural areas, residents have reacted positively to the presence
of such rural amenity by stepping up their productivity and the area under
cultivation.
Rural settings have their own inalienable and unassailable
peculiarities that distinguish them unmistakably from the urban settings. They
are often characterized by lack of basic infrastructure like pipe-borne water,
electricity, good road and other related infrastructural services. Rural
transport is the provision of transport is the provision of transport
facilities as well as short distance movements between an urban centre and the
surrounding rural areas, between two rural settlements or between rural settlements
and the farmlands that belong to them (Ademiluyi and Solanke, 2002). The
conditions of most rural roads are often useful and their density is generally
low when compared to inter-urban and intra-urban roads. Most of the rural roads
are impassable during rainy seasons, due to this the affected communities are
alienated from other neighbouring communities. Moreover, some of the vehicles
that ply on roads are not road worthy and are also unlicensed. Consequently,
they are generally slow, irregular, inefficient and unsafe (Aloba, 2013).
Motorized transport
costs are usually very high during rainy season because of poor roads and
incessant breakdown of vehicles. As Adeniji (2007) noted, the ability of
agricultural and forest freight to absorb motorized transport costs varies
according to the purpose and type of agricultural concerns are found to be more
able to absorb public transport costs than the subsistence primary produces in
the rural areas. As a result, a sizeable number of rural dwellers resort to
head porterage, bicycles, land-draw carts, pick up vans and other forms of
adapted or informed transport modes such as “to-fro” in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State in particular
and Nigeria in general. Therefore, the study intends to address the
problems which affect transportation system and rural development.
1.3 Aim and Objectives
The main
of this study is to look intensively and truly point out the role of transport
system in rural development: a case study of Okpe Local Government Area of
Delta State.
However,
the specific objectivities are to;
1. examine the various means of transport system in the study area.
2. Examine the major problems of road transport in Okpe south Local
Government Area of Delta State.
3. Identify the role of transport system in the development of rural
areas especially in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State.
4. Examine the major cause (s) or roads accidents on urban and rural
roads in the area.
5. Ascertain the level of development of the rural areas in the study
area.
6. Proffer or suggest lasting solution (s) to the problems of
transportation in the study area.
1.4 Research Questions
The
following research question (s) will be asked in the study;
1. What are the various means of transportation in the area?
2. What are the major problems of road transport in the area?
3. What role has transport system played in the development of rural
areas?
4. What are the major causes of road accident on urban/rural roads in
the area?
5. What is the level of development of the rural areas in the area?
6. What do you think are the possible solution (s) to the problem of
transportation in the area?
1.5 Research Hypothesis
The following null hypothesis will be tested in this study.
1. Transport system has no significant impact on rural development in
Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State.
2. Transport system has not played any significant role in the
development in Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State.
3. There is no significant relationship between the causes of road
accident on urban/rural road and the problems of transportation Okpe Local
Government Area of Delta State.
1.6 Significance of the Study
The significance of this study is to look intensively at the role
of transport system in rural development: a case study of Okpe Local Government
Area of Delta State. It will also afford the management of the transport system
in the area and the problems resulting from poor network in rural areas.
This study will also address the problems of road transportation
especially road accident which constantly pose serious threat to the lives of
the rural dwellers since it has been observed that fatal accidents mostly occur
on rural roads.
It is also hoped that this study will create awareness on the role
of transport system in the development of rural areas and the level of
development in the rural areas. It is also hoped that people in the area
especially road users and commuters will take precautionary measures against
road accidents from this study.
And lastly, it is hoped that the methodology and statistical
analysis used in this study will provide a useful base for further researchers
who might wish to carry out useful investigation in the area.
1.6 STUDY
AREA
The
study area, Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State is located in the
south-south geo-political and in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Okpe is one
of the major Local Government Area that make up the 25 L.G.Ss of Delta State.
It is mainly dominated by the Okpe language speaking ethnic group (Asagba,
2005). Okpe Kingdom comprises of 12 communities/villages. These villages are
Oreropke, Elume, Amuokpokpo, Olan, Onoghro, Okuoke, Ogiedi, Inabome,
Igbimidaka, Jakpa, Oyohe and Okwugbude. The study area will be discuss under
the following sub-heading;
1.6.1 Location
and Size
The
present study are, Okpe lies between latitudes 503810011
North of the equator and longitudes 50541 0011
East of the Greenwich Meridian. Orerokpe is the headquarter of Okpe Local
Government Area of Delta State. Okpe is bounded in the North by Ethiope West
and Sapele Local Government Areas, in the east by Ethiope East L.G.A, in the
south by Ugheli South Local Government Area of Delta State and in the west by
Warri South Local Government Area of Delta State (Asagba, 2005). Okpe kingdom
shares boundaries with Oghara, Mosogar, Idjerhe, Agbarho, Agbon, Ughievwe and
Uvwie communities.