Impact of the telecommunication industry on the socio-economic life of Nigerians : Okata area of Lagos as case study

Abstract

The research study investigates the impact of the telecommunication industry on the socio-economic lives of Nigerians. The Nigerians residing in Okata area of Lagos were taken as case study. 300 samples were selected at random from the residents. The study focused on the economic benefit and social benefit as well as adverse social and economic effect of telecommunication on the citizen of Okata. Two types of questionnaires were developed for the purpose of data acquisition. Questions in the questionnaire were designed to address the research hypothesis developed prior to the research. Apart from individual characteristics of respondents, there are two classes of respondents which are individual respondents and business respondents. The business respondents were further subdivided into two groups which are namely telecommunication related business owner and non-telecommunication related business owners. The study revealed that telecommunication brought about economic growth in the area in the form of job creation. However, quality of service lead to money being wasted on services, that is unsatisfactory to the users. Verbal interaction between individuals increased with telecommunication but physical interaction declined. The greatest concern of respondents, according to the survey, is the quality of service. The survey also revealed the need for improving the quality of the service delivered to the users. Though the service is essential, satisfaction of the user is paramount as such to encourage growth and development for both the provider and the user in their respective environments.