MIGRANT URBAN WORKERS AND RURAL PROPERTY OWNERSHIP-A CASE STUDY OF MIGRANTS IN CALABAR, NIGERIA

One of the most frequently observed and measured characteristics of African migrants to towns is their tendency to retain their property of all sorts in the rural areas. Although Nigerian migrants to town have been observed to exhibit similar tendency, not many studies have been done to explore, for example, the extent of such rural property ownership; which migrants owns what property; and the motives for rural property ownership. This case study examined the extent and types of rural property ownership by migrants to Calabar, one of the state capitals in Nigeria. Explanatory variables such as sex, age, marital status and salary group level were used to shed more light on the patterns of rural property ownership. It was evident from our findings that majority of the migrants owned one property or the other in their home places. Of all property mentioned, house received the greatest percentage, and consequently the greatest priority. Generally, age, salary group level, marital status and sex of the migrants were positively associated with ownership of rural property.