Movement Patterns of Consumers to Service Centres in a Part of South-western Nigeria

Abstract

This study was set against the background of the systems and patronage patterns of service centres in Ijesaland, Osun State, Nigeria. The study aimed at identifying the service centres; find out and examine the range of the spatial influence of the service centres; and examine the factors responsible for the observed movement pattern(s) in the study area. Twenty-seven ‘Central Place Functions’ were identified which were used to determine the sample size and also to organise the area into hierarchical order of service centres.Results revealed that, based on communality values, there were three classes of services in the study area. These are: Class I with values greater than 1; Class II values between 0.1 and 0.99; and those with communality values of less than 0.1 were were regarded as Class III. In addition, there were six hierarchies of service centres in the study area: the main centre, sub-centres, higher-order centres, lower-order centres, rural - urban fringe and the remote rural areas. Also, the study revealed that there were high levels of cross - movements among settlements in Ijesaland and cases of ‘outward - movements’ to service centres outside the region.The study has provided policy-relevant information about diversities of Ijesa settlements through the hierarchy of service centres in the area.