Factors influencing rural-urban migration of youths in Osun State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the factors influencing rural-urban migration of youths in Osun State, Nigeria. A multistaged sampling technique was employed in the selection of 240 of the respondents (youth) from three local government areas of the state. Data for this study were sourced primarily through the use of well-structured questionnaire. Both descriptive and inferential analyses were employed in the analyses of the data. The result of this study showed that mean age of the respondents was 22.60 years. The study further revealed that majority (68.8%) of the respondents were male, single, had family size of between 5 - 8 and had secondary education. The results revealed that the poor electricity supply in the rural areas, bad condition of roads, absence of pipe-borne water were push factors driving the youth away from their communities into urban areas. Results further revealed that better employment opportunities, superior wages in the urban areas, improved living condition are pull factors that attract rural youths to the urban centres. Majority (68.8%) of the respondents were not willing to stay in the rural areas with or without improvement in the condition of living in their communities. The results of this study revealed that age (r - 0.51; p < 0.01), sex ( X 2 - 34.57; p < 0.05) and educational level ( X 2 - 45.57; p < 0.01) of the respondents were significantly related to their decision to migrate from rural to urban areas. The study recommends that government should provide basic social amenities in the rural areas as they are found in the urban so as to encourage the youth to stay. Keywords: Rural, urban, migration, youth