Restructuring and socio-economic development in Nigeria: Public Perception in Akwa Ibom State

Abstract

The subject of restructuring Nigeria remains one of the most current and heated debates in the social and political terrain of the country. However, the Federal Government of Nigeria is yet to fully consider the restructuring of some sectors of the country's economy. This study was undertaken to investigate public perception of the role of restructuring on the social and economic development of Nigeria. Three specific objectives, three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study in order to investigate public perception of the role of restructuring on the social and economic development of Nigeria. The literature review was guided by the specific objectives. Robert Dahl's theory of pluralism and Anthony Giddens' structural agency theory were utilised in the study. A cross-sectional research design was used for this study, and the Taro Yamane formula was utilised for the determination of an adequate sample size. The purposive sampling method was used in the selection of the headquarters of three senatorial districts in the study area, and one thousand two hundred and thirty-five (1,235) respondents were also purposively selected for the study. Data were collected through the administration of a structured questionnaire. The data were analysed quantitatively using the chi-square in order to test the association between selected variables in the study. The findings reveal an association between restructuring and the social, economic and security development of Nigeria. Restructuring Nigeria has the prospect of solving the country's security challenges as well as creating social and economic development through employment, job creation and industrialisation. Based on these findings, the study recommended that the federal government should adopt restructuring as a top item on their agenda because it seems to be the practical way out of Nigeria's current socioeconomic woes.