RURAL ELECTRIFICATION AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA: AN ENTREPRENEURIAL DISCOURSE

Abstract

This study assessed the level of provision of electricity in the rural areas as a panacea towards entrepreneurial endeavors for national economic development. It should be noted that rural urban drift and poverty in Nigeria are some of those social problems that need to be tackled. Data were sourced through questionaire, in-depth interview and from published scholarly works. The findings revealed that lack of electricity affected establishment of lucrative businesses in the rural areas, thereby making it difficult for self-employment in services industries like barbing, welding work and hair-dressing, etc. The paper thus concluded that rural electrification is still at rudimentary stage in Nigeria, inspite of government repeated claimed of spending huge sum of money on rural electrification. This is indeed a huge setback on entrepreneurial activities in the rural areas. The study therefore recommends that the three tiers of government should make provision for electricity in the rural areas as a matter of uncompromised priority.