ASSESSMENT OF SOCIO-ECONOMIC AND ENVIROMENTAL IMPACTS OF MARKETS IN ADO EKITI, NIGERIA

Abstract

Markets are procedures or practice by which prices of goods and services are established (Okosun, 2017). Market center in spatial planning represents a geographical space for the distribution of commodities and services. This research aims at assessing the socio-economic and environmental impacts of markets in Ado-Ekiti with a view to suggesting environmental management policies for improvement. In the course of this survey, 421 questionnaires were administered on households and retrieved. Out of the 19 notable markets in the area under study, 10 markets were picked. The study employs two sampling technique stratified sampling technique and systematic random sampling method. 7% of each sub-population n1 and n3 were sampled randomly, systematic sampling procedure were used in n2 to select one in every ten hawker – traders (i.e. mobile traders) in the markets. While local government staff and shoppers patronizing each market were given questionnaire and interviewed randomly. Findings from this study revealed that women were predominant patrons of the markets taking 60.1%, majority of respondents fell within the productive age group than the dependency class taking 46.1%. Trading and civil service were the dominant occupation of sellers and shoppers in the study locale taking 69.4% and 38.5% respectively, sizeable proportion of traders in Ado Ekiti had secondary school as the highest level of educational attainment taking 38.7%, highest proportions of sellers and shoppers are married taking 56.1% and 51.8% respectively. Also larger part of the respondents could be termed as urban poor that were characteristically typified by income poverty taking 20,000-29,999 as their minimum wage and sampled market are randomly distributed within the study area with average distance 223 meters, most of also the environmental conditions are not in good state. In conclusion, the study should be aggressive in public enlightenment program to sensitize the people about the proper management of the market,. Government should ensure strict adherence to the lay down by- laws governing markets in Ado-Ekiti Local Government Area.