Socio-Economic Factors Influencing the Initiation of Water Projects in Nigeria: The Example of Sustainable Ibadan Project (SIP)

Socio-economic factors such as age, income, sex, marital status among others determine the purchasing power of an individual and have much influence on what the individual will engage in and type of project(s) such individual and group of individuals or community will embark upon. Issues that would be of interest to men folks may be different from that of the women folks and there may be areas of overlap of interest due to various reason(s). This study investigated the effects of socio-economic factors on the initiation of water projects by Sustainable Ibadan Project in Ibadan, Nigeria. Nine water projects were identified under the Sustainable Ibadan Project, of which, six (6) were development of natural springs and 3 were borehole projects that spread over 6 Local Government Areas in Ibadan. A total of 729 users were sampled for this study. Age and household-size had negative correlation while income had positive correlation. Sex, level of education, occupation and marital status were significant at 0.01 Alpha level. The study also confirmed that apart from the socio-economic characteristics of the users, the preservation of cultural heritage, especially in communities that have natural spring projects played a very significant role in the initiation of the water projects. The paper called for the replication of these water projects in more communities in Ibadan.