An Assessment of Quality of Life in Peri Urban, Settlements of Uyo Capital City, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
An Assessment of Quality of Life in Peri Urban, Settlements of Uyo Capital City, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria
Ime Hosea Ibanga1, Collin Ebubedike Onyeri2, Ugboaja Ikechukwu Michael3, Prisca Adanma Onyeri4
1Environmentalist Rivers State University Port Harcourt, Nigeria
2Environmentalist Ebony State University Abakaliki, Nigeria
3HOD Mathematic Department Ema Dominion International School Port Harcourt, Nigeria
4Medical Laboratory Scientist University Of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Nigeria
ABSTRACT: The study is an assessment of quality of life in peri-urban settlements of Uyo Capital City in AkwaIbom State, Nigeria. This is sequel to the perceived low level of living that is experienced in the peripheral settlements of Uyo Capital City. Settlements identified within the limit of the study area were 36 in number. Data on 15 dependent variables thus contributing to socio-economic infrastructure and activities to the quality of life of the people were collected from the field and weighted. Using systematic random sampling, 10% of households were sample in each of the settlements. Seven independent variables of socio-economic nature were identified and measured. Spearman’s Correlation statistics was applied to investigate the influence of socio-economic indicators on quality of life. The result of the analysis indicated that the population and education variables were significant in explaining the levels of quality of life in the study area. The Population variable accounted for 88.9% of the total variance in quality of life (r = 0.943). This was closely followed by education variable which accounted positively (r = 0.496) but very weak contributing 24.6% of the total variance in quality of life in the study area. The overall assessment hammered on inadequate socio-economic infrastructure in the study area and hence it is recommended that adequate intervention be made in infrastructural provision and effective planed distribution strategy for enhanced quality of life.
KEY WORD:Quality Of Life, Uyo Capital, Peri-Urban, AkwaIbom, Settlement, Socio-Economic
1. INTRODUCTION
There has been widespread interest in recent years in the field of Quality Of Life (QOL) studies. The term appears in the discussion of everything, from relative discussion in villages, towns, urban and suburbans, cities and nations. However, due to this widespread interest, World Health Organisation Quality of Life Group (WHOQL, group) came up with a definition of QOL as, “individuals’ perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live and in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concern” [1].
It is a well known fact that Nigerian society has been characterised by rapid urban growth. Equally, the existence of development emphasis in term of provision of infrastructure from government programmes have always centred on urban setting, thus neglecting rural majority in national decision making process.
Although many government development programmes were introduced in the past and present (such as, Operation Feed the Nation, the Directorate of Food, Road and Rural Infrastructure; Better Life for Rural Women; Family Support Programme; Poverty Alleviation Programme; Women for Change Initiative; Rural Electrification Scheme among others) to aid in improving quality of life of the people, but quality of life is not working for the rural settlers particularly the peripheral settlement of Uyo.
In peri-urban areas of Uyo Capital City, transportation becomes a problem as most roads are inaccessible, accessibility to health facilities are still patronised by long distance of trekking, housing conditions in most of these areas defy adequate description, the condition of life is so degraded by low income status, illiteracy as to deny the people basic human necessities. Good mode of commercial transportations which would have helped increased farm productivity are lacking. In assessing the performance of Millennium Development Goal