IMPACT ANALYSIS OF HYDRO ELECTRICITY DAMS ON THE HAPPINESS OF THE HOST-COMMUNITIES IN NIGER STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

In Nigeria, violence, theft and vandalisation of infrastructure are common phenomenon. Some people tend to destroy them with little or no provocation not minding the fact that they are in place to address public needs. In line with this tendency, the study therefore, examined the Hydroelectricity dam host communities in Niger State to determine if they are happy or not. The study used concept of utility as theoretical framework and employedPropensity Score Matching (PSM) method using treatment and control groups as units of analysis. The findings revealed that the Hydroelectricity Dam host communities are less happy by 33 percent. The study therefore, recommends training programmes be put in place to improve human resource skills and production efficiency and concludes that policy focus should not only be targeted at production outcomes but also to consider peoples happiness.