FUEL SUBSIDY REMOVAL AND ACCESS TO SOCIAL WELFARE IN OBIO/AKPOR LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA (LGA) OF RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study entitled “Fuel Subsidy Removal and Access to Social Welfare in Obio/Akpor LGA of Rivers State, Nigeria” examined the impact of fuel subsidy removal on the residents of Obio/Akpor LGA in Rivers State, with regard to their access to education, transportation, healthcare and affordable housing. Two research questions were posed for study. The study adopted the Descriptive Research Design in its investigation. The population for this study comprised all residents of Obio/Akpor LGA in Rivers State from which a sample of 100 respondents was randomly selected for the study. The selection was done through the use of stratified sampling and accidental sampling techniques. A questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection and this instrument was face validated by professionals in Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Port Harcourt, Choba. Also, the reliability value of 0.86 Correlation Co-efficient was obtained for the study. The statistical methods used for the study were percentage, frequency tables and pie graphs. Percentage, frequency tables and pie graphs were used to analyze biographic data while percentage and frequency tables were also used to analyze field responses from research questions for the study. The findings showed that fuel subsidy removal has some adverse effects on the residents of Obio/Akpor LGA in Rivers State. Among other things, the foregoing gave rise to children dropping out of school, and lack of concentration on studies. It also caused difficulty in transportation as a result of higher fares imposed on passengers in the study area, and besides, it has caused a lot of preventable and untimely deaths as a result of insufficient money for ailments treatment and/or medication. It has caused many residents of the area to relocate to rural areas where they could afford housing. Based on these findings, the study among other things, recommended that the State Government should provide loan and free text books to students in order to encourage school enrollments and also mitigate the effect of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians, especially in Obio/Akpor LGA of Rivers State.