Internal Migration and Urbanization in Nigeria: Implications for Socio-Economic Development

This study is an opinion paper that focuses on internal migration and urbanization in Nigeria: implications on socio-economic development. The purpose is to interrogate the interactions between internal migration and urbanization in Nigeria, pinpointing the implications of the nexus on Nigeria’s socio-economic development. The study was explained using a combination of the theory of self-generated urbanization by Hawley (1981) and the push-pull theory by Lee (1966). The material for this study was generated through secondary sources such as journals, books, book-chapters, and available internet sources. The data were critically analyzed using content analysis. The outcome of the interrogation showed a strong nexus between internal migration and urbanization, as rural-urban migration remains a major factor in urbanization in Nigeria even though there are other factors. Again, the socio-economic development gap between rural and urban areas has incubated internal migration and affected urbanization in Nigeria. With regard to socio-economic development, internal migration, and its resultant urbanization have both good and bad sides. The good side is that internal migration (a key factor in urbanization) holds a lot of benefits for migrants, their dependants at home, and their host communities abroad by increasing educational access, quality of life, and overall living standard. The bad side, on the other hand, is that rapid urbanization, largely orchestrated by rural-urban migration, has continually mounted pressure on the urban environment and infrastructural facilities and is associated with such social problems as urban unemployment, environmental degradation, and urban health challenges. It is, therefore, recommended that government policies on internal migration and urbanization should be balanced- striving to manage the negative effects of the interaction between internal migration and urbanization and, at the same time, harnessing its gains.