An Analysis of Labour Migration among Okada Riders in Rural Areas in Niger North District of Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

Improving security has remained a herculean task for government at all levels in Nigeria. In a bid to improve security in Niger State, the State government-imposed ban on the operations of commercial motorcyclists (Okada) in the Niger State capital and its environs due to the instrumentality of motorcycles in the operations of criminals such as bandits and kidnappers. While the ban can be applauded for reducing criminality within the State capital, Minna; its far-reaching implications for the growing insecurity in the rural areas have scarcely been investigated. Using a cross-sectional survey design, this study sampled 408 Okada riders across seven purposively selected communities in four local government areas of the State to unearth the pattern of migration among Okada riders and the attendant security implications for the new destinations of the riders. The push-pull theory was utilized to provide theoretical
framework for the study. The findings revealed dominance of migrant riders in the rural areas who have migrated from mostly urban areas due to imposition of ban and the growing insecurity in their former locations. Okada riding serves as full-time job for many of the riders and hence they prefer to change environment than to change occupation. Consequently, the study highlights some security implications for the growing number of migrant riders in the rural areas. Among other things, the study suggests relaxation of Okada ban in the cities as a way to decongest the rural areas and forestall the emergence of greater security threats.