A Post Resettlement Appraisal of the Socio-Economic Condition of Gbagi People in Kubwa, Federal Capital Territory (Fct) Abuja, Nigeria

As many countries strive to move from the backwaters of under development to the commanding heights of economic greatness by executing large scale infrastructural projects, massive displacement and resettlement of people from their ancestral homes has been the bane of society globally. This paper appraises the socio-economic condition of Gbagi people displaced during the development of Phases I and II of the new Federal Capital City Abuja who are now resettled at Kubwa. With the aid of field assistants, data on Four socio-economic variables: education, employment/occupation, income and social welfare/communal relationships were collected through interviews from 450 household respondents purposely selected from the 5 major population clusters in Kubwa town using structured questionnaires. The data was analysed using tables, frequencies and simple percentages. The results shows that the Gbagi people resettled in Kubwa are socio-economically worse off than they were in their original villages: The opportunities for basic education are lost, and there is high unemployment rate and dwindling household incomes occasioned by dislocation from traditional farming occupations. Nevertheless, the people enjoy more social welfare facilities than ever before, though they have significantly lost valuable social support networks through kith and kin social relationships during their stay at Kubwa. It has been recommended that more government schools and skill acquisition centres be established at Kubwa to enhance educational status and engage the towering crowd of unemployment among the people. Also timely implementation of future similar programmes and projects is recommended