This study examined the spatial distribution of selected socio-economic facilities in the 72 Local Government Areas (LGAs) of Eastern delta, Nigeria with a view to determine if the development pattern in the area is clustered or dispersed in space. A set of socio-economic variables that served as indicators of development were collected from various sources. These were analyzed using the gini index and the non-hierarchical cluster analytical technique. The cluster analysis result showed that both developed and deprived areas co-exist in space and the pace of development follows a discernable pattern of clustering in space within and among the different LGAs in the region. Four levels of clustering representing highly deprived deprived, privileged, and highly privileged clusters were identified. Out of the 72 LGAs studied in the region, 44 are classified as highly deprived, 21 were deprived, 2 privileged while 5 LGAs were found in the highly privileged cluster. The paper recommends that a conscious and a deliberate effort aimed at addressing the observed spatial inequality in the Eastern delta region of Nigeria. Encouraging the growth of the region is one way of ensuring that the continuous exploitation of oil and gas resources may go on unhindered. To achieve this requires fostering social inclusion, increasing the capacity of people in decision making process, which will in turn engender the capacity of the people to live in harmony.
Weje et al. (Mon,) studied this question.