Demographic Influence on Public Infrastructure Investments in South-South Nigeria

• Author(s): Beals, Sampson Alele
• Paper ID: 1702383
• Page: 211-225
• Published Date: 02-07-2020
• Published In: Iconic Research And Engineering Journals
• Publisher: IRE Journals
• e-ISSN: 2456-8880
• Volume/Issue: Volume 3 Issue 12 June-2020

Abstract

The influence of demographic factors on public infrastructure investments in South-South Nigeria was empirically assessed in this study with the primary purpose of ascertaining the extent of consideration of demographic factors in budgetary planning. The specific study variables are government capital expenditure, as dependent, and demographic factors (per capita government revenue, population density, population, and number of households), as independent variables. Secondary data were collected from annual budgets of governments, the population commission and Bureau of Statistics of Nigeria, Publications of the Central Bank of Nigeria, and few research articles containing relevant public records. The 6 states of the South-South region of Nigeria are taken as the population of the study which covers a period of 11 years (2007-2017). The data were analysed employing multiple regression statistical method. The study reveals at 5 % level of significance, that no significant relationship exists between aggregate capital expenditure and demographic factors in South-South states budgetary planning. On individual demographic influence on capital expenditure, number of households and population were found to have negative relationship, while per capita revenue and population density are positive though the relationships are not significant. Thus the study concludes that none of the demographic variables is significantly related to capital expenditure. In other words, the governments of south-south Nigeria as an entity do not consider any of the demographic variables in their capital investment planning. It is recommended inter-alia that the governments of south-south Nigeria should in policy formulation, planning, and funding, give reasonable attention to demographic considerations in their infrastructural development drives. This can be achieved by always keeping an update of demographic statistics which as a matter of policy should be considered by estimators and budget formulators of public capital projects in the event of any infrastructure development planning.

Keywords

Capital investment, Demographic factors, Public infrastructure, South-South Nigeria

Citations

IRE Journals:
Beals, Sampson Alele "Demographic Influence on Public Infrastructure Investments in South-South Nigeria " Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 3 Issue 12 2020 Page 211-225

IEEE:
Beals, Sampson Alele "Demographic Influence on Public Infrastructure Investments in South-South Nigeria " Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 3(12)