Ezebunwa E. Nwokocha, Ph.D Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan, Nigeria.

Engaging the Burden of Rural-Urban Migration in a non-regulatory System: the Case of Nigeria

Nigeria is one of the countries in the world with very high rural-urban dichotomy. Although the nation is generally characterized by poor social amenities, both in quality and quantity, rural communities are disproportionately more disadvantaged than urban centres due to governmental neglect. Consequently, the number of rural inhabitants that migrate to cities with high hopes of overcoming powerlessness consistent with rural life is unprecedented. Resulting population densities in these destinations and corresponding disadvantages require effective regulations that will engage the push factors on one hand, and how in-migrants could adjust to destination cities without infringing on existing social equilibrium on the other.

This paper argues that Nigeria practices a non-regulatory internal migration system with families and communities, most times, forced to adjust grudgingly to unforeseen human additions. Investigating how these recipients are coping with this recurring contingency is critical to understanding the burden and contradictions of non-existence of registration systems and haphazardness in spatial allocations, land use, distribution of public resources and compliance to laws. Suggesting appropriate context-specific intervention strategies to a non-regulatory migration patterns and processes, as in the case of Nigeria, is strongly recommended.

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