Yenegoa: The Challenge of a Developing City in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

Abstract

Yenagoa became a state capital when Bayelsa State was created in 1996 out of the old Rivers State, south of the deltaic region of Nigeria. Until it became a State Capital, it was a local community wearing the status of a local council headquarters. As an administrative urban center it was a picture of deprivation, misery and poverty.  In terms of infrastructure it was empty, economically it was backward yet it was part of a geographical region that contributes significantly to the revenue of the Nigerian oil economy. The city having been overseen by four military administrators and four civilian governors, and after existing for eighteen years, the greatest challenge of the government is still how to develop a befitting State capital that will compete with other cities in the world. The challenges confronting the city are too numerous: ranging from a difficult geographical terrain, an ever increasing human population which the city is  not ready for in terms of housing provision, physical and economic infrastructural availability which are needed for decent living in a city. The prime purpose of this paper is to look at these challenges in a clinical dimension. To achieve this objective, a research frame work has been designed. A survey instrument is designed and used to collect the necessary data from the field. The analysis of the field data helped to make this study a success. Literature relevant to this study also contributed greatly.

Keywords: Rural, City, Yenegoa, Niger Delta, Development.