A Comparative Study of Aspirations, Perceptions and Expectations in Rural and Urban Areas in Southwestern Nigeria: A test of the dualistic Theory

Some development economists have held that since the rural areas of developing countries are inhabited by people who are largely illiterate and poor peasant farmers as opposed to the urban dwellers who are literate, non-farm workers, an intrinsic dualism exists in these countries. These rural dwellers have been further characterized as having aspira­tions, expectations and perceptions which are not exactly shared by their urban dwelling counterparts. Following this characterization, they have justified a need for separate development strategies in order to prevent the rural lagging sector from acting as a drag on the urban progressive sector. This study therefore sets out to test the applicability of such theory in the Nigerian setting. Respondents were drawn from two large indus­trial urban centers and four farming communities in the southwest of the country. The results show that although there are marked socio-economic differences between ruralites and urbanites in southwestern Nigeria, they are not very different in their general aspirations, expectations and per­ceptions. It is found that irrespective of their location, the people look forward to a better life for themselves and members of their families and do perceive those factors likely to impede the rapid development of their country. A holistic rather than segmentary, dichotomous development approach is therefore advocated so as to enhance the even development of the country.