ABSTRACT

There is a continuous exacerbation of environmental problems in cities of today’s

world, thereby, diminishing the quality of life in them. This research, therefore, evaluated urban

governance through housing administration in the state capital. It examines the extent of

housing problems in the town, the causal factors and the culpability of government agencies

statutorily responsible for the provision, control and management of housing development in

Ondo state. The systematic approach was more intensely adopted because government officials

often respond to enquiries with ‘official answers and data’ which may not be reliable and the

study had to rely on keen observation of physical traces, social interaction and personal

investigation. Information was solicited from house-owners, building industry professionals

and officials of relevant government agencies, through research tools like questionnaires,

interviews, focused group discussions and personal observations. The analysis and discussion

of these field data, in conjunction with the information from the desk research gave a better

understanding of the status-quo, which informed the recommendations proposed in the

dissertation for mitigating the problems. The research discovered that many of the statutory

housing agencies have the capacity to effectively discharge their responsibilities. It also

discovered that lack of political will and apathy on the part of successive Governments of Ondo

State to the improvement of housing conditions of the poor masses are major causes of the

housing debacle in Ijapo estate. Several germane and realistic recommendations for redressing

the situation were subsequently proffered. These include amongst others, the conduction of an

accurate census for Ondo state, in conjunction with credible international agencies, as a

requisite basis for effective planning of any sort. The process of obtaining legal titles for land

should also be made less cumbersome, while the housing administration process should be

computerized; in order to reduce inter-personal contacts between applicants and government

officials to the barest minimum, as a means of curbing the wide spread corruption in the system.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

CERTIFICATION................................................................................................................................. i

DEDICATION....................................................................................................................................... ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT................................................................................................................... iii

ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................................... iv

LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................................... viii

TERMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ......................................................................................................1

CHAPTER 1..........................................................................................................................................4

1.0 INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................4

1.1 Background of the study ............................................................................................................4

1.2 Statement of the Research Problem ..........................................................................................6

1.3 Aim and Objectives of the Study ...............................................................................................7

1.4 Research Questions.....................................................................................................................8

1.5 Hypothesis of the Research ........................................................................................................8

1.6 Justification of Study ..................................................................................................................9

1.7 Scope of the Study.......................................................................................................................9

1.8. The Study Area ..........................................................................................................................9

1.8.1 Historical Background.............................................................................................................9

1.8.2 Location and Geographical Background.............................................................................10

1.8.3 Economic Background...........................................................................................................11

LITERATURE REVIEW AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK ...............................................12

2.0. Introduction............................................................................................................................12

2.1 Housing ......................................................................................................................................12

2.2 The Meaning of a House and Qualities of a Home.................................................................14

2.3. Issues in Housing......................................................................................................................17

2.3.1. Housing Adequacy and its Qualities....................................................................................17

2.3.2 Housing Rights.......................................................................................................................18

2.3.3 Adaptability in Housing ........................................................................................................20

2.3.4 Public Housing .......................................................................................................................21

2.3.5 Trends in Public Housing Provision in Nigeria...................................................................22

2.3.6 Housing Policy........................................................................................................................24

2.3.7 Land Policy.............................................................................................................................26

2.3.8 Housing Delivery....................................................................................................................28

2.4. Low-Cost Housing....................................................................................................................33

2.4.1 The Challenges of Low- Income Housing ............................................................................34

2.5 Conceptual Framework............................................................................................................37

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2.5.1 Concept of Housing Affordability and Availability ............................................................38

2.5.2 Necessity for Affordable Housing.........................................................................................38

2.5.3 Past Effort on Affordable Housing Delivery .......................................................................38

2.5.4 Why Past Market-Efforts of Government Failed and Similar Subsequent Interventions

Will Still Fail....................................................................................................................................39

2.6 Concept of Sustainable Housing Delivery and Development................................................42

2.6.1 Housing Affordability............................................................................................................42

2.7 Public-Private Partnerships in Housing Delivery ..................................................................44

CHAPTER 3........................................................................................................................................47

3.0. METHODOLOGY OF RESEARCH..................................................................................47

3.1. Research Design .......................................................................................................................47

3.2. Research Population ..............................................................................................................48

3.3. Sources of Data.........................................................................................................................48

3.4. Data collection Instrument......................................................................................................48

3.5. Sampling Size .........................................................................................................................49

3.6. Sampling Techniques...............................................................................................................49

3.7. Scope of the Study....................................................................................................................49

CHAPTER 4........................................................................................................................................51

4.0 RESULTS OF FINDINGS ..................................................................................................51

4.1 Social Economic Characteristics of Respondents...................................................................51

4.1.1 Sex ...........................................................................................................................................51

4.1.2 Age of respondent ..................................................................................................................52

4.1.3 Marital status .........................................................................................................................52

4.1.4 Educational status..................................................................................................................53

4.1.5 Occupation..............................................................................................................................53

4.2 Problems of Housing Delivery .................................................................................................54

4.2.1 Challenges to housing development......................................................................................54

4.2.2 Access to housing loans..........................................................................................................54

4.2.2.1 Source of housing loan........................................................................................................55

4.2.3. Access to government housing loans ...................................................................................55

4.2.3.1 Reasons for not having access to loans..............................................................................56

4.2.3.2 Interest rate on loan............................................................................................................57

4.3 Roles of Government Agencies in Housing Delivery .............................................................57

4.3.1 Government intervention in low cost housing estates.........................................................57

4.3.1.1 Level of government intervention......................................................................................58

4.3.1.2 Facilities or mechanisms adopted to enhance housing development..............................58

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4.3.2 Effectiveness of government housing price control unit.....................................................59

4.3.3 Landlord and planning authorities/agencies.......................................................................59

4.3.1 Nature of problem encountered............................................................................................60

4.4 Ways of Enhancing Housing Delivery.....................................................................................60

4.4.1 Major ways of enhancing housing delivery .........................................................................60

4.4.2 Public private partnership enhances housing delivery.......................................................61

4.5 Facilities that Enhance Suitable Living ..................................................................................61

4.5.1 Facilities availability and adequacy......................................................................................61

4.5.2 Accessibility of residential housing units to road networks...............................................62

Findings from Agencies Connected to Housing Development and Management .....................63

1. Ministry of Housing ................................................................................................................63

CHAPTER FIVE ................................................................................................................................68

5.0 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS..................68

5.1. Summary of Findings ..............................................................................................................68

5.2. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................69

5.3 Recommendations.....................................................................................................................70

5.4. Suggestion for Further Research............................................................................................71

REFERENCES....................................................................................................................................72

APPENDIX I...................................................................................................................................78

APPENDIX II..................................................................................................................................81