Introduction Border settlements play a crucial role in shaping the socio-economic landscape of a nation, acting as both conduits for cross-border trade and interfaces for cultural exchange. The paper compares the socioeconomic and cultural characteristics of border residents in Ogun State. The main objectives are to identify the residents' major socioeconomic and cultural characteristics, assess the migration level and length of stay in the study areas and the relationship between the residents and overall socioeconomic factors in the study areas. Methodology The study adopted descriptive survey research methodology using Multi-stage sampling techniques. The study population of 6,103 habitable buildings. These sample sizes were calculated by a two-stage formula. The formula is given as; (1) Where is the sample size; z is the selected critical value of desired level; p is the estimated proportion of an attribute that is present in the population, q = 1-p and e is the desired level of precision. However, this paper assumes the maximum variability to be 50% (p = 0.5) and takes a 95% confidence level with 0.05 precision. Based on the estimated figures, the sample size is calculated as Since the = 384 derived is greater than 5% of the population size (6,103), the adoption of the correction formula to determine the final sample size is inevitable. The correction formula is given as; (2) By interpolation, equation (2) becomes Results and discussion Findings emanating from the study, posited from the Kruskal-Wallis H-test and Median tests, revealed a non-statistically significant difference in overall socioeconomic and cultural characteristics across three different selected towns (Idiroko town, n = 174; Ilara town, n = 62; Ohunbe, n = 24), X2(2, n = 260) = 3.173, p = .205. Both Idiroko and Ilara towns recorded a higher median score (Md = 2) than Ohunbe town, which recorded a median value of 1. Overall socio-economic and cultural characteristics across is not significantly different, but evidence of poor socio-economic and cultural conditions in Idiroko and Ilara towns is very poor in Ohunbe. Conclusion The transformation of towns facing socio-economic and cultural challenges is a journey that requires sustained commitment, collaboration, and a deep understanding of the intricate dynamics at play. Therefore, a comprehensive community-centred approach with the existing potential can not only uplift these towns but also to create models of development that prioritise cultural diversity and sustainable prosperity. Keywords: Border Settlements, Cultural, Comparative Analysis, Residents, Socio-economic
Oladimeji Olusola Ojo, Sekinat Olubunmi Olagoke-Salami