Rural-Urban Drift of youths in Benue
Rural-urban migration is usually a response to the attractive nature of the urban areas. The alarming rate of the practice among youths in Nigeria and Benue in particular calls for serious concern.
The practice which has for long been ignored without receiving the required attention has no doubt become a menace and has caused indirect or direct negative effects on the rural source region to the betterment of the receiving urban centers. A case of the center tapping not only material resources from the periphery but also its human resources.
The movement of people especially youths from our villages and communities to cities and towns within Benue state is due to:
- The absence of infrastructures,
- Poor education standards,
- Low per capita income
And lack of social amenities like:
- Standard hospitals,
- Electricity,
- Good roads,
- Cinemas,
- Job opportunities and so fort.
Hence, the drifting of youths to more developed parts of the state or country.
This trend has resulted in a situation where our rural areas and local communities have become starved exuberant and energetic young men and women with more of the aged left to fend for them selves and their farms. The importance of rural areas/rural dwellers and their immense contribution to Nigeria’s annual aggregate agricultural production cannot be over emphasized.
In checking rural-urban drift, people should to have access to those basic necessities that impact on the quality of their lives. Thus, bringing closer to them those things they yearn for in the urban centers. It behooves on the government to bring development to the rural areas.
Rural communities should be made to feel comfortable for the young men and women in order to discourage them from migrating to the cities.