HOUSING THE LOW INCOME POPULATION BY OLUSEGUN ARIYO Housing is one of the basic yardsticks for human survival and the need to ensure its qualitative and quantitative delivery cannot be overemphasized. Further study on housing becomes paramount when considering the rate influx of people from the rural areas to urban setting particularly because of dichotomy, which exist within the rural and urban areas in the developing world. The phenomenal growth of large urban agglomeration in the third world region of the world over the last few decades has become global concern. Reports reveal that by the year 2020, a high proportion of 93% of the worlds over billion people will occur in the third world countries and that 2.2 billion inhabitant will be added to the population in the cities. An increase of 160%. Some cities however are growing two or three times faster than the country’s over population, reflecting massive migration to the cities. For instance the population of Lagos grew at an average of 5.6% per year compared with 3% growth rate for Nigeria for Nigeria as a whole. The united nation predicts that the city metropolitan area which had which had about 290,000 inhabitants in 1950, will exceed 20 million by in some years ahead, making Lagos one of the world’s five largest cities. Notably, the rapid increase in the rate of these urban agglomerations have been faced with colossal urban problems such as the growth of urban slum and informal settlement characterized by substandard housing with lack of basic amenities among others. However, various finance strategies are put in place in other to solve the housing problems. Regrettably, financial strategies are put in place with lack of adequate knowledge of housing needs of the population. report reveal that the most comprehensive national estimate for the housing of the nation to date was concluded in 1985 by Nigerian institute of social economic research and published in 1990 using various assumption of urbanization rate for the urban and rural areas as well as different housing types and per-person dwelling till the year 202020. The results also indicate that Nigeria would need between 99,989,286 33,573,900 and 28,548,630 units at high, medium and low housing estimate. In the past, the colonial period witnessed housing activities and polices of the government which focused on the provision of expatiates staff and selected staff alike in specialized occupants like railways police, Armed forces. 1960-1976, it’s witnessed the emergence of the first and second national development plan which occurred in 1962-68 and 1970-75 respectively. Housing during this period was regarded as a social-non income generating sector the private sector was not encouraged to invest particularly for low income people. Furthermore, repot reveal that the financial institutions directly responsible were few and poorly organized. In 1976-1985 the first and second national development plan failed to provide adequate housing resulting in slum and unhygienic conditions this period witnessed the third national development plan in which its provision among others aimed at alleviating housing problem. Among these were significant step taken to make accessible housing loans to Nigerians through the manipulation of monetary instruments and the reconstitution of the Nigerian building society into federal mortgage bank of Nigeria to serve as the apex institution of housing loans in Nigeria. In addition, the state and the local government as well as private employers having employees of fifty and above were encourage in the provision of houses and granting of loans to their employees. The federal government also made it mandatory for banks to devote 5-6% of their total deposit and the insurance companies up to 25% of their life deposits in housing provision. However, this huge step did not yield and significant impact in housing provision. 1986 till date is observing continuous pressure in the government to urgently act on the dwindling nature of housing delivery which culminated into the setting up of national housing committee in 1985 which eventually led to the national housing policy of 1990. The committee identifies housing finance as the bedrock of the policy which led to the radical structuring of housing finance system. Report reveal that although, many financial institution were put in place before 1975 and reconstituted in 1979 it indicate that they did not measure up to the housing needs of the population particularly the low income earners. For instance, the past administration of Lagos from 1999 to 2007, report indicate that it was able to construct an absolute total of672 housing units in ikorodu,358 in oko-oba, 16 units in surulere, 38 in amuwo odofin231 in isheri,357 units in lekki 162 units in agege, 19 units in alapere, and 19units in isolo respectively. Out of 1,926 units built all over the state in seven years, only 104 units are one bedroom and 570units are two bedrooms respectively. This is grossly inadequate when viewed within the context of housing needs of low income population in the state and when compared with the record of the housing provision of the 1980s majority of the low-income house hold is being housed by private developers who build houses for rent. These houses are often characterized by poor services and facilities. A blank approach has always been employed in other to identify low-income housing earner. In other word, it has always been viewed in terms of social stratification at the expense of affordability. If all said must achieve it desired objective, a comprehensive national housing study must satisfy all encompassing. These include economizing on the use of new resources and avoiding destruction of existing housing asset, expanding the willingness of the people to contribute in kind and their ability to contribute in cash to their housing; providing a range of different standard of housing to match the resources and the needs of different income group; and ensuring a reasonably equitable distribution of available resources of housing between income groups
Posted on: Thu, 04 Dec 2014 07:29:18 +0000
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