CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to the Study
Human being created with the nature
of engaging in one economic activities or the other, the specific economic
activities that an individual engages in for the purpose of making a living is
technically referred to as occupation. The concept of occupation is very
important and central to general human livelihood. This is so because
occupation determines a lot about the general socio-economic characteristics of
an individual. Without mincing word, it has been generally observed that
occupation is an important living and survival factors. As a result of its
importance and relevance in human lives, the topic has been one of the major
concepts that have attracted the concerns of philosophers and scholars
overtime.
From the sociological point of view,
occupation has largely been seen as a social element, this is as it is
conceived among the sociologists that occupation is a social construction and
that other dynamics and realities relating to it are largely social issues. As
a result of this observation, sociologist since a very longtime has put vested
interest in the discussions of issues relating to human occupation in terms of
how it is been socially constituted, its nature, its causes and its social
consequences. For example, Emile Durkheim in his book, ‘Division of Labour in
the society’ discussed the reality of occupation in terms of its importance to
the general survival of the society. Similarly, the work of Karl Marx also
revealed other dynamics of occupation in terms of how occupational type results
into social class formation and social conflict in human society. Max Weber in
his analysis observed that it is not only that social values influence choice
of occupation but also influence peoples behavioural dynamics in the chosen
occupation.
Following the views, ideas and
observation of these classical scholars, later sociologists have expended lots
of time and precious intellectual resources to examine different sociological
dimensions through which the term occupation could be examined and understood.
The vested interest in the sociological dynamics of education became more
prominent with the advent of industrialization and the emergence of a special
area of study referred to as industrial sociology. In all of these works, it
has been unequivocally observed that sociological elements play prominent
influence on the general dynamics of the concept of occupation. To this extent,
sociological search lights have been beamed on the various sociological factors
influencing occupational choice among the people in the society.
According to Fidler & Fidler (2016),
choice of occupation could be largely influenced by micro elements such as the
individual's sensory motor, cognitive, psychological, and social maturation
along with his or her developmental needs and skill readiness. In the view of The
founders and early pioneers in occupational therapy, it is conceived that an
essential part of human nature that is manifested by active participation in
self-maintenance, work, leisure, play, and rest conditioned occupational choice
(Meyer, 2016). Others are of the view
that people chose a particular work type due to due to the basic physiological
survival and a sense of belonging and human self-actualization inherent in the
occupation Still, many join a particular occupational field due to the fact
that such occupation serves as the mechanism for growth, adaptation, and
learning and for effective interactions with the internal and external environments
(Kleinman&Bulkley, 2015). Occupation is the primary agent for learning and
development and an essential source of satisfaction (Highto'l-ver-Vandamm,
2016). Skills and capacities emerge from lifelong experiences that provide
structure and challenge for further exploration, adaptation, and mastery.
A general glance at many of existing
studies on sociological elements influencing choice of occupation in human
society, it would be observed that many of these existing studies focused
majorly on the formal work setting with gross neglect of the informal work settings.
However, research efforts have shown that the informal work setting dominates
many countries of the world today. This is especially so in a country like
Nigeria where it has been revealed that the informal work setting occupied as
much as 70% of the entire workforce in the country (Afolabi, 2013). Similarly,
the rate and ways in which people engage in ‘okada’ riding in the Nigerian
society today calls for academic/intellectual concerns, this is so because
‘okada’ riding has been seen as the ideal occupation for many and the
indiscriminate involvement of the people in this occupation has led to series
of social socio-economic consequences. Furthermore, of many studies on
sociological dynamics of specific occupational types, there have not been much
sociological studies that have examined the socio-economic elements as the
possible factor influencing the choice of okada riding as occupation among the
people. Inferring from the background given so far, it is pertinent to initiate
an academic empirical research effort to examine the socio-economic factors as
determinants for choosing okada riding as occupation. Even though researchers have examined
socio-economic elements as determinants for choice of occupation, the
researcher is of the view that the level at which people venture into Okada
riding in society is a thing that requires academic attention. It is from this
background that the researcher conceived the desirability to conduct this
study.
Statement of Research Problem
Poverty
is a negative social reality that is largely caused by negative social factors
and as such has been one of the major interests of social thinkers especially
sociologists over the years. In addition, the problems of victimization and
dehumanization brought about by poverty on human has made poverty one of the
major issues been given political attention by different governments all over
the world. The general interest has been on examining and understanding
different dynamics of poverty in terms of its nature, what causes it, its
effects and some possible ways and means through which the challenges of
poverty could be solved among humanity. Generally, it has been agreed by all
and sundry that one of the yardsticks for measuring poverty level in any society
is the occupational distribution of its population. In other words, the kind of
work engaged in by a person goes a long way in measuring the poverty condition
of such individual. Thus, it could be right to say that Okada riding is a
derogatory occupation whose proliferation implied increased level of poverty in
a society.
It should be noted that
proliferation of Okada riding in a society is not only caused by negative
social factors, it is also a reflection of breakdown of economic institution of
a society in the 21st century. In addition, many a time, the effort
of the people to use engaging in Okada riding to solve their economic problems
sometimes amount to more poverty and economic deprivation as many Okada riders
involve in different levels of accident which will further imply negatively on
their general livelihoods. To this extent, proliferation of Okada riding has
resulted in several negative consequences for those who engage in it. In the
view of some observers, although many has regarded Okada riding occupation as a
poverty alleviation in the sense that it provides an informal economic
engagement for the people but a critical look at the occupation would reveal
that the occupation is involved in by marginal people but also it elevates
their poverty level instead of alleviating it.
In Nigeria today, it is a common
scene to see politicians claiming economic empowerment through the distribution
of Machines (Okada) to the people with the sole aim of alleviating their
poverty condition or to solve the problems of unemployment(Ogbuiji, 2016). It must be mentioned that such efforts cannot
be regarded as true economic empowerment as the empowerment sometimes leads
further impoverishing the empowered individuals. This could be the reason why
there seems to be some laxity in the nation’s attitude towards solving the
problems of poverty, thereby making it look as if there is little or no
assurance that the issue of poverty in the country can be solved in the near
future. A look at some government programmes, designed to address the issue of
poverty have not lived up to the aspirations of the people because they were
undertaken without sufficient attention to their economic viability and
sustainability. Based on the above observed social problems related to involving
in Okada riding as an occupation, it is pertinent to conduct an empirical study
to examine the socio-economic factors that propel people to engage in Okada
riding.
Research Questions
This
study is interested in providing answer to the following questions:
i.
What is the
socio-economic characteristic of Okada riders in Ilorin metropolis?
ii.
What is the level of
Okada riding in Ilorin metropolis?
iii.
Does the socio-economic feature of the
people have significant effect on the proliferation of Okada riding in Ilorin
metropolis?
Research Objectives
The general objective of this study
is to examine the relationship between socio-economic factors and the
proliferation of Okada riding in Ilorin metropolis. The specific objectives are
to:
i.
examine the socio-economic
characteristics of Okada riders in Ilorin metropolis,
ii.
assess the level of
proliferation of Okada riding in Ilorin metropolis and
iii.
ascertain whether socio-economic
characteristics of the people have significant effect on the proliferation of Okada
riding in Ilorin metropolis.
Hypotheses of the Study
Based
on the general objectives of this study, the following null hypotheses were
raised to achieve the study objectives
H0i: Lack
of conducive work environment does not have significant effect on the decision
to engage in Okada riding as an
occupation
H0ii: Educational background of Okada riders does not have
significant effect on his decision to
engage in Okada riding as an occupation
H0iii: non-availability
of alternative economic engagements does not have significant influence on the decision to engage in Okada riding as
an occupation
H0iv: Peer factor of
Okada riders does not have significant effect on his decision to engage in Okada riding as an occupation
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