This study concentrated primarily on how the changes in the trunk A transportation network configuration in Nigeria alter both the hierarchy of the network system and the connectivity of the network itself. Using the graph theory, the study looked at the network development in Nigeria in 1949, 1961, 1976, and 1982. The period covered in the study spanned from the colonial to the post-colonial eras. Road maps of each of these years were the primary sources of data. The maps were translated into abstracted networks and subsequently converted into square matrices, and analyzed. The analysis resulted in the establishment of the network connectivity and the accessibility of individual nodes. Gamma and alpha indices were used to determine the complexity (the degree of connectivity) of networks in each of the study periods. The sporadic changes in the number of nodes and linkages resulted in the fluctuation of the network connectivity. This type of fluctuation is a common problem in network development within the developing economies. Political and administrative factors exert stronger influence in shaping the content and the outcome of transportation programs than the Taaffe, Morrill and Gould (1963) and Lachene (1965) models imply. The sporadic fluctuations in the number of nodes, linkages and in the values of the gamma and alpha indices suggest that neither the sequence of network development nor its supposed discrete nature is appropriate to postcolonial development. There is a significant difference between network development during the colonial and post-colonial eras. During the colonial era, there was a strong connection between network development and primary economic activities. The conditions during the colonial era support the link between the network and economic development as illustrated in Kansky (1963) work. The post-colonial era in the other hand, is marked by the need for both social and political integration. Thus, the pattern of network development in Nigeria in the eighties is quite consistent with Friedmann (1975) assertion that social and political factors should be assigned a higher score than economic in the development model for Third world. After nearly ninety years of network development, the trunk A network system in Nigeria is in transition. It is now moving from elementary into an advanced stage of development. One of the things that is likely to at least slow down the rate of such transformation is the political sub-division of the nation into smaller constituent units, coupled with lack of political predictability. From most indications, network development is moving away from concentration in relatively few nodes to a system that imposes a grid on the nation. The imposition of such a grid is likely to induce and enhance the interregional linkages and competition. Such phenomenon is indeed healthy in the light of the existing imbalance in terms of responsibilities between the three levels of government. It is also a good approach towards redressing the existing regional disparities as regional integration is very likely to bring about incentives and opportunities for a fair competition.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:pdx.edu/oai:pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu:open_access_etds-2129 |
| Date | 01 January 1988 |
| Creators | Owen, Owen Richard |
| Publisher | PDXScholar |
| Source Sets | Portland State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Dissertations and Theses |
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