ANALYSIS OF RURAL YOUTH INVOLVEMENT IN COMMERCIAL MOTORCYCLE OPERATION IN ILORIN EAST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KWARA STATE, NIGERIA.

Adefalu, L. L; Usman, B. A*; Adisa R. S. and Orioka, G. E.

This study examines the implications of occupational migration of rural youth from farming to commercial motorcycle operation in Ilorin East Local Government Area of Kwara State. Data for the study were obtained through the administration of structured questionnaire. Twelve settlements with sizeable number of commercial motorcycle operators were purposively selected from which a total of 120 respondents were randomly selected for the study. The data was analyzed using frequency counts, percentages, mean ranking and the Chi-square statistical techniques. Results show that 57.5% of the operators were between 21-30 years old and have been frustrated out of farming by lack of access to agricultural credit, poor access to modern inputs, and other factors that result in low returns from farming. On the other hand, the stable income and relatively higher freedom in commercial motorcycle operation attract people into the occupation. The implications include reduction in area of land cultivated, lower productivity and reduced income from farming. Recommendations made include training the youth in modern farming techniques and introduction of appropriate policy measures to make agricultural loans easily accessible to people in rural areas.

Key words: Agricultural labour, Commercial Motorcycle, Migration, Rural, Youth.