Effect of personal characteristics of extension managers and supervisors on information technology needs in the Niger Delta area of Nigeria

This paper examines the effect of personal characteristics of Extension managers and supervisors on their information technology needs in the Niger delta area of Nigeria. Data collection was with the aid of a structured questionnaire administered to 87 respondents in the study area. The z-test result showed that there is no significant difference in the Information Technology needs of both categories of respondents. Findings also revealed that number of associations belonged to, educational qualification, training, category of organization were the personal characteristics that significantly influenced information technologies needed by extension managers and supervisors. It is therefore recommended that training in various areas of Information Technology such as use of Internet, sending and receiving e-mails, surfing the web, using chat rooms, and newsgroups, should be enforced to further enhance the performance of extension managers in the discharge of their duties. This is to make the recipients ready to meet challenges in the contemporary global network of Information Technology. Extension Managers and Supervisors should be encouraged to belong to Professional Associations in their various disciplines. This should be made compulsory and possibly a condition for promotions so that it can be adhered to. Allowances should however be made available and regularly too, for such activities. Extension Managers and Supervisors should be given available opportunity to use and apply Information Technologies regularly. This will expose them significantly and encourage a fuse into the global community. [PUBLICATION ABSTRACT]