CONTRIBUTIONS OF PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF EGBEDA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF OYO STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study examines the contributions of infrastructure to the development of Egbeda Local Government Area of Oyo State, Nigeria. The objective is to identify the types, distributions and impacts of these infrastructural facilities on the lives of the people and their general economic well being. Data used were obtained from the field through questionnaire, oral interview and personal observation. Results on the distribution of economic activities showed that respondents engaged in more than one economic activity. The result on availability of infrastructures and their conditional service to the rural people showed that facilities such as public transport, local market were adjudged good by the respondents while both secondary and primary schools were adjudged fair. Roads, dispensary and electricity were adjudged by respondents to be in a poor state. The PPMC result showed that the assessment of infrastructure facilities showed that they have low significant (26%) on the livelihood of the respondents. The results further reveals that few infrastructural facilities were located in the study area, which were however not equitably distributed. The study concludes that facility provision was confronted with numerous problems in the study area which include inaccessibility, inadequacy, lack of maintenance of existing infrastructures and the attitude of government to rural facilities location. The impacts relating to poverty alleviation as observed were in the areas of access to medical care, mortality rate, employment and literacy. The study recommends policy reforms of rural development to contain rehabilitation and maintenance; there is need for government and non-governmental organization to recognize the need for sustainable infrastructural development programmes that will not change as government changes and calls for attitudinal change of the rural dwellers pertaining to public infrastructure in their domain is also recommended.