The Urban Housing Crisis In Nigeria

The relevance of housing in urban and rural environment cannot be over-emphasised. It contributes to the attainment of physical and moral health of a nation, stimulates social stability, the work efficiency, and the development of the individuals. This articles examines the urban housing crisis in Nigeria.

Previous responses to the urban housing crisis in Nigeria has failed largely due to institutionalized mechanisms of decision making and implementation process

Housing problem have been generally accepted as being diverse and complex. Within the spectrum of this problem, one can identify both quantitative and qualitative deficiencies.

It has been observed that the major housing problems in Nigeria is the insatiability of human needs for housing. This problem is world-wide and it is of a recurring nature.

In fact it is doubtful if any nation of the world can satisfactorily meet its housing requirements.

In Nigeria, most people live in poor quality housing and in unsanitary environments. This problem of inadequate housing has been compounded by the rapid rates of urbanization and economic growth.

Housing difficulties is more serious for the low income groups where problems have been complicated by rapid growth, inflated real estate values, speculative activity, influx of poor immigrants and lack of planning. One can also site the increasingly significant shifts in the form and design of housing from the rooming form to flat and single family house forms as a factor responsible for acute shortage of housing for the low income groups

The problem of inadequate housing is experienced in both urban and rural areas in Nigeria.

For example, NISER – Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research in a study of rural housing in the nine Southern States of Nigeria found that, “the projected demand of housing units on an average of six persons per dwelling unit for the nine states are 5.2 million in 1990, 7.0m in 2,000, 9.5m in 2,010 and 12.7m in the year 2,020.

“Other manifests of the urban housing crisis in Nigeria are: high rent in the housing market, inadequate mortgage finance and in accessibility to mortgage loans. These problems have resulted in overcrowding, poor and inadequate social amenities, unsatisfactory and unwholesome environmental conditions and urban squalor, the absence of open space, the over development of land area leading to the overcrowding of buildings, in-accessibility within residential areas, and in the scarcity and high cost of building materials.

Having identified the nation’s housing problems, this piece will not be complete without a brief mention of the causes of the problem. This is because it is the belief that housing policies in trying to solve a nation’s housing problem must take into consideration the causes of the problems.

Some of the causative factors of housing problems include: natural increase in population due to improved health care leading to a great demand: high rate of rural urban migration; already existing overcrowding in our urban centres; high cost of land, building materials and labour; and lack of dedication to duties, and lack of planning.

These factors have combined and acted together to heighten housing needs and problems in Nigeria

Nigeria cannot stand aloof to the golden responsibility of standing up to the needs of her estimated 186 million people as at 2016. From the discussion presented, it is arguable that the urban housing crisis in Nigeria is not deficient of solutions in practical and theoretical terms.

The question does not seem to rest anymore in the search for effective, feasible and viable policies. Where the thrust of the issue lies seems to be in the political will, economic determination, organized and democratic approaches in the resolution of the housing crisis.

The indispensability of state intervention must be emphasized. This becomes crucial so long as the private sector are still at their nascent stages of development. They lack the necessary capital, organisational and practical experiences, economic foresight and interest, as well as the moral obligation and class political awareness needed in housing intervention.

Organized state intervention is viable. The closer the solution are to the prevailing national realities the more positive the result of chosen policies in urban housing development in a dependent economy like Nigeria.