An Assessment of the Socio-economic Impact of Exxon Mobil and NNPC Joint Venture Assistance Projects in Education within Communities in Oil Producing Areas of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Aims: The aim of the study was to assess the socio-economic impact of the EXXON MOBIL and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) joint venture assistance projects in education within communities in oil producing areas of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria.

Study Design: The study involved questionnaire survey, personal interviews and focus group discussion .

Place and Duration of Study: The socioeconomic survey covered ten schools located in four Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Eket, Onna, Ibeno and Ikot Abasi. It also covered four host communities in the study area. The survey took place between 4th September 2013 and 22nd January 2014.

Methodology: Two schools per local government area were chosen as case study in order to determine the socioeconomic impact of EXXON MOBIL assistance projects in education. The Study adopted a combination of several data collection tools. These included: Questionnaire survey, Personal interview, Focus group discussion, Participant observation and estimation. Bar graphs were used for data presentation and analysis.

Results: The results revealed that, Principals in all the schools studied were of the view that the projects executed in their respective schools have impacted positively on both the students and the community. This was also the views of majority of the teachers and students that responded to the questionnaire survey. The study also revealed that most of the projects assessed were in very bad condition and so required urgent attention/rehabilitation to ensure sustainable human development in the area.

Conclusion: Most of the schools sampled are currently sustained by the Mobil/Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) joint venture projects. Unfortunately, most of the buildings put in place by the Mobil/NNPC projects are dilapidated due to over usage and lack of maintenance. To ensure sustainability, there is need for a Post Project Monitoring Plan [PPMP].