Housing Policy and the Dynamics of Housing Delivery in Nigeria: Lagos State as Case Study

By Lanre Towry-Coker

This book examines issues such as the problem of inadequate quality housing, evolution of slums and squatter settlements, problem of land and funding for housing, urban poverty, educational factors and the specific demographic characteristics of Lagos urban residents. Also, there is a re-examination of the contribution of the National Housing Programmes and Policies to housing delivery in Lagos.

• Language: English
• Publisher: MakeWay Publishing
• Release date: Aug 7, 2012
• ISBN: 9781907925306

Lanre Towry-Coker

Architect Lanre Towry-Coker (Ph.D.) is the son of distinguished Civil Engineer who in the early 60’s was the planning adviser to the late Malayan Prime Minister, Tunku AbdulRahman. Architect Lanre Towry-Coker was educated at the popular St. Matthias Roman Catholic (Primary) School, Lafiaji, in Lagos, and at the Kingston College, Surrey, in the United Kingdom, where he obtained the GCE ‘O & A’ Levels. He later received his academic training at the prestigious Architectural Association School of Architecture, London, (after passing the entrance examination). He then went to Thames University, where he completed his Royal Institute of British Architects’ part 1 exams. Architect Towry-Coker, who holds a Post-Graduate qualification in Architecture from the University of North East London, completed his professional training at the world famous Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). He is also an Associate of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators in the United Kingdom (ACI.Arb.) and a Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (FNIA). A graduate of the renowned Harvard University Graduate School of Business Administration (OPM), in the United States of America (which he attended as a full-fledged professional in the course of his brilliant career). Practice A seasoned Architect, who started his own architectural practice in 1976. Architect Towry-Coker has originated numerous prestigious building all over Nigeria and has won numerous competitions. He was one of the original planners of Abuja and takes credit for originating the initial concept of the first hotel in the relocated Federal Capital, Abuja Sheraton Hote (now re-christened Meridien) won the competition to design the Abuja Conference Centre which was completed . Not long ago he was adjudged the best entry in an international competition (which attracted a total of 110 entries) to design the World Bank resident mission headquarters, and residences in Abuja, which was Commissioned. He has in his professional career designed and supervised several major buildings all over Nigeria. A past Chairman of the Public Relations Committee and International Relations Committee of the Nigerian Institute of Architects (NIA). Architect Towry-Coker has led numerous delegations of the NIA to different types of organized parallel international and regional professional bodies. He was NIA’s representative at the world photo – voltaic association arranged by the International Union of Architects and led the Institute’s delegation to a forum held in Australia under the auspices of the Commonwealth Institute of Architects. More recently in 1997, he was the head of a Nigerian mission to the United States Building Business Symposium. Public Service His public sector career has been no less eventful and memorable. He was chairman Lagos State Waste Disposal Board, and was the Chairman of the Lagos State Luna Parks. He was also privileged to serve as Chairman of the Lagos State Investment Promotion Council and on the Technical Committee on Open Spaces. He is an ex-member of the State Tenders Board. In 1999, Dr. Hon. Arc. Towry-Coker (PhD) was appointed the pioneer Honourable Commissioner for Housing in Lagos State. He served as a full cabinet member for 4 years, before returning to the private sector in 2003. He was a Member of the Presidential Committee on Housing and Urban Development, inaugurated by the President Commander-in –Chief of the Armed Forces, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, in 2001-2002. He served as Special Adviser on Housing and Urban Development for former President Olusegun Obasanjo, accompanying him to several Countries, including South Africa, Zimbabwe and then being sent back to South Africa to conduct and write a report on the South Africa approach to Housing delivery. During his tenure as Hon. Commissioner he completed no less than four large abandoned estates and initiated another fifteen housing estates in Lagos State. Politics Architect Towry-Coker, entered partisan politics in 1992 when he contested the Lagos Central Senatorial Seat under the banner of the former Social Democratic Party (SDP), He has over the years authored different publications on wide-ranging topical subjects which are of timeless relevance. These include ‘Towards a Lagos State Environmental Protection Agency’ (a seminar blue print). Low-income Housing, Technology Transfer: The Construction Dimension and The Metro –Line Affair (a review / plan for mass Transportation in Lagos State), among others. A much traveled individual whose professional practice has taken him to no fewer than 36 countries scattered all over six continents. He is a member of the Nigerian-Asian Chamber of Commerce, Nigerian-British Chamber of Commerce and the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA). A founder member of the Nigerian-German Business Council. He is also a member of the Nigerian Finnish Chamber of Commerce. He belongs to the boards of a number of companies and bodies including charitable organization like the Chris Ogunbanjo Foundation, Centre for Conflict Resolution and the Centre for the Promotion of an Industrial Society. A warm and outgoing personality who in 1984 was nominated Outstanding Young Person (OYP) of the metropolis by the Jaycees (diminution of the Junior Chamber of Commerce International), a non-governmental organization. Architect Towry-Coker is a member of quite a number of charitable, social and sports clubs and organizations, notably the Lions Club International, Metropolitan Club (Lagos), Ikoyi Club (Lagos). Polo Club (Lagos) the Lagos Motor Boat Club, and Yoruba Tennis Club. Architect, Urban –Cum- Transportation Planner, Project Manager and Author all rolled Into one, Dr. Towry-Coker, with a knowledge of French, German, Russian Enjoys writing, researching and organizing in addition to playing badminton, golf, Squash-rackets and tennis occasionally. Family He is happily married with three children, all of whom are graduates from prestigious overseas Universities like Reading University (UK), Warwick University (UK), and the Manchester University Institute of Science and Technology.(UK) Publications Speech Delivered by Dr. Olanrewaju Towry-Coker Phd on “Infrastructure- “Key Challenge For Smes” at The Enterprise Development Centre (Edc) 3rd Alumni Conference at The Shell Hall, Muson Centre On November 29th, 2011 DR. LANRE TOWRY-COKER. DIPL.ARCH.RIBA.FNIA, ACI.Arb. OPM (HARVARD), Ph.D (Planning)

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HOUSING POLICY AND THE DYNAMICS OF HOUSING DELIVERY IN NIGERIA: LAGOS STATE AS CASE STUDY

LANRE TOWRY-COKER PHD

MAKEWAY PUBLISHING LIMITED

…making way for your ultimate success…

(SMASHWORDS EDITION)

Copyright 2011 Lanre Towry-Coker, PhD

First published, 2011

Second Edition, 2012

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

DEDICATION

FOREWORD

PREFACE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

LIST OF TABLES

LIST OF FIGURES

SOME TERMS USED AND THEIR MEANINGS

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to Study

1.2 Statement of the Problem

1.3 Aims and Objectives

1.4 The Research Question

1.5 Research Hypotheses

1.6 Justification

1.7 Scope of Study

1.8 Methodology

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE AND CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

2.1 Introduction

2.2 Literature Review

2.3 Conceptual Framework

2.4 Theoretical Framework

2.5 Conclusion

CHAPTER 3: THE STUDY AREA - LAGOS STATE

3.1 Introduction

3.2 The Geographical Location of Lagos State

3.3 Geology and Relief

3.4 Climate and Microclimate of Lagos

3.5 Lagos in History

3.6 Population Distribution

3.7 Ethnography and Culture

3.8 Economic Activities

3.9 Infrastructural Provisions

3.10 Housing Situation and Policies in Lagos

3.11 Conclusion

CHAPTER 4: ANALYSIS OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC ATTRIBUTES OF LAGOS RESIDENTS

4.1 Introduction

4.2 Demographic Aspects of Respondents

4.3 Socio-Economic Aspects of Respondents

4.4 Conclusion

CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS OF THE NATIONAL HOUSING POLICY

5.1 Introduction

5.2 Housing Policies and Programmes (1900s to 1980s)

5.3 The Contemporary National Housing Policy

5.4 Conclusion

CHAPTER 6: ANALYSIS OF HOUSING SURVEY OUTCOME AND HOUSING DELIVERY IN LAGOS

6.1 Introduction

6.2 House Ownership and Security of Tenure

6.3 Housing Type and Occupancy Ratio Analysis

6.4 House Rentals and Mode of Payment

6.5 Housing Amenities, Infrastructure and Facilities

6.6 House Material Quality and Neighbourhood Conviviality

6.7 Conclusion

CHAPTER 7: GOVERNMENT POLICY AND THE DYNAMICS OF HOUSING DELIVERY IN LAGOS

7.1 Introduction

7.2 Government Housing Programmes and Evaluation

7.3 Housing Finance – The Mortgage Finance System

7.4 Extent of Government Housing Delivery in Lagos

7.5 Public Housing Programmes and Affordability

7.6 Extent of Private Housing Provision in Lagos

7.7 Factors of Land and Cost of Building Materials

7.8 Conclusion

CHAPTER 8: ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, BUILDING CODES AND TOWN PLANNING STANDARDS’ CONFORMITY IN LAGOS

8.1 Introduction

8.2 The Traditional Built Environment

8.3 Contemporary Building Design Standards

8.4 Functional Requirements in Home Design

8.5 Conclusion

CHAPTER 9: CONCLUSION

9.1 Summary of Findings

9.2 Recommendations/Policy Implications

9.3 Conclusion and the Research Frontier

APPENDIX

FIELD SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DEDICATION

I dedicate this book to my late father, John Olaotan Towry-Coker, without whose encouragement and advice, I would never have become an architect.

FOREWORD

I am pleased to write the foreword for this book by Dr Towry-Coker based upon his PhD thesis. The reason for this is two-fold. First, the author was a diligent scholar throughout his PhD studentship and second, the book itself addresses critical issues that will arouse the interest of urban scholars and practitioners especially in any developing country. When the author informed me of his efforts in writing this book and that I should write the foreword, I had no doubt that like his PhD thesis he would produce a masterpiece. As predicted, Housing Policy and the Dynamics of Housing Delivery in Nigeria: Lagos State as case study is a thriller.

This nine-chapter book is a profound intellectual and professional commentary on Housing Policy frameworks and programmes in Nigeria. It summarises concisely the predicaments of and offers a possible panacea to the housing delivery débâcle in the country. The diligence of the writer can be appreciated right from the opening gambit of the book as Chapter One opens up the polemics that characterise the housing sector of the Nigerian economy. His arguments are predicated upon facts and figures as well as practical experience. After an incisive examination of the housing challenges and problems in Lagos and Nigeria, the author concludes that housing in Nigeria faces the problem of unworkable, ineffective and unrealistic housing policies and programmes. Unfortunately, before the present study, little or nothing had been done in this regard.

An exhaustive literature review of housing issues and policies in Nigeria and other countries in chapters two and three of this timely book, expands the horizon of experience on the performance of housing provision strategies that had worked in other countries and those that had failed. The core and perhaps the most essential parts of this book lie in Chapters Six, Seven and Eight. These areas constitute the ‘strong store of facts’ where evidence of housing provision and delivery problems is analysed and revealed. The analytic style employed by the author is very simple and clear enough to enforce easy comprehension by both academics and practitioners. I salute the courage of the author for the lucid manner in which he has approached and discussed the issues in spite of their seeming complexity. For the first time in this country, a scholar has treated all issues in the housing delivery problem with an immense tenacity of purpose. The ‘holistic approach’ of the author actually provides an opportunity for him to tackle simultaneously the multifarious problems confronting housing provision in Nigeria.

Conclusively, I want to say that Dr Towry-Coker has, with this book, proved that both academics and practitioners can work together to resolve the complex issues inherent in the housing sector in Nigeria. Undoubtedly, he has produced a rare book on a complex sector of the Nigerian economy and from the viewpoint of a practitioner as well as a scholar.

I want to recommend this book to the government, scholars, politicians, urban planning practitioners and the general public for its inestimable values.

Professor J O Odumosu

Department of Geography

Lagos State University, Ojo

Lagos

PREFACE

The analysis of Housing Policy and Dynamics of Housing Delivery in Lagos State is not only complex but also challenging. The study involves on one hand, a thorough examination of diverse housing issues such as the problem of inadequate quality housing, the evolution of slums and squatter settlements, the problem of land and funding for housing, the issue of urban poverty, educational factors and the specific demographic characteristics of Lagos urban residents. On the other hand, there is a re-examination of the contribution, in quantitative terms, of the National Housing Programmes and Policies to housing delivery in Lagos. The overall goal of the study is to examine the contribution of Government housing programmes to housing delivery in Lagos State. The main problems facing housing in Lagos State that necessitated this study include land scarcity, paucity of housing finance, high cost of building materials, poor housing infrastructure, poor housing data forecast, poor building sector organisation, lack of consideration for population socio-economic attributes, and non-integrated housing policy.

The methodology for the study was designed in such a manner as to look at the formulation of every housing programme and its contribution to the efforts to raise the housing stock in the state. The Policy Impact Evaluation Strategy (PIES) was employed to evaluate three housing programmes of the Low Cost Housing Scheme (LCHS), the Self-Help Aided/Cooperative Scheme (SAS and ASH) in the context of the perception of their performance by the people of Lagos. The assessment of housing programmes was carried out based on the level of success they registered in the minds of residents. The PIES methodological framework is a variant of the Policy Feasibility Approach (PFA) earlier employed to study Housing Policy in some advanced countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States of America.

Again, the impeding factors against mass housing provision in Lagos were reduced to three, namely, land, finance, and the cost of building materials. The contribution of these factors to housing delivery in Lagos was observed and assessed. A total number of 2,000 respondents were interviewed in the twenty local government areas that constitute Lagos State. The same number of houses was surveyed. The attributes of the respondents were obtained to cross-correlate them with their housing requirements. The questionnaire was the main instrument of data collection and was divided into four areas, namely, the bio-data section, the socio-economic attributes of respondents, the housing attribute survey and finally the housing programme assessment. The questionnaires were distributed randomly and sampling survey was restricted to the headquarters in each of the twenty Local Government Areas (LGAs). These twenty localities are Ikeja, Agege, Ifako, Alimosho, Ikoyi, Mushin, Somolu, Ebute-Metta, Ojo, Ajegunle, Akodo, Badagry, Amuwo-Odofin, Apapa, Surulere, Oshodi, Epe, Ketu, Ikorodu and Lagos Island.

The respondents were both male and female adults above 21 years of age. People below 21 years old were deliberately precluded from the survey as they were presumed to be too young and impressionable to react appropriately to the issues raised. An average of 100 respondents (household heads) were interviewed in each Local Government Area in Lagos State. The same number (100) of houses were surveyed, to determine the conditions of the houses – toilet, kitchen, walling, roofing, flooring, electricity, water supply, number of persons per room and per house and so on. A sample size of 2,000 was chosen in respect of the population of Lagos State put at 9,013,534 and approximately 1,126,692 households making 18 percent of the households. The unit of analysis is the household head.

Analysis of data was done using basic statistical tools including the Chi-square χ2 test of difference which was used to test the veracity of the first and second hypotheses in the study and the analysis of variance ANOVA employed to determine the variability of the perception of the performance of the three housing programmes examined in Lagos. Being a policy evaluation study, this research endeavoured to limit the analytical tools to these basic ones and because of the lack of available data more multivariate analysis were precluded. The essential aspect of the analysis is to capture the factors underlining the poor state of the housing delivery efforts in the state.

Findings showed that in the formulation of national housing programmes, the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of urban residents were never considered as paramount input variables. Consequently, the study revealed that the housing being provided by successive State Governments was neither sufficient nor affordable enough to improve the housing condition of the majority of urban residents of Lagos. It was also revealed that the major problems preventing the housing programmes from achieving optimum performance included land, inadequate funding, lack of a housing database, poor organisation of the building industry, the high cost of building materials, rapid urbanisation; and the inability of the housing institutional frameworks to perform their statutory functions. Also, it was discovered that the private sector participation in housing delivery was frequently hampered by a lack of adequate statutory co-option to the National Housing Policy.

Three hypotheses were subjected to empirical validation and the results there from showed that regarding the first hypothesis there is indeed a significant association between the respondent’s income and housing status as χ2= 1419.87 was found to be greater than the tabulated value of χ2=37.57. As for the second hypothesis, it was found that the educational attainment of respondents determine their housing status thereby invalidating the null hypothesis; the calculated χ2= 1030.53 was greater than the tabulated value of χ2 =20.09. The ANOVA analysis employed to determine the variation between the performances of the three Government Housing Programmes of LCHS, SAS and ASH showed that there is no significant variation between the three programmes and in fact, none of them had really improved the housing situation in Lagos over time; this was buttressed by the F0.05=1.5 which was significantly less than the tabulated value of F=4.6 at 0.05 alpha level. This led to the acceptance of the null hypothesis which says that on the account of performance perception there is no significant variation in the three programmes in Lagos State.

The results call for the provision of suitable policy measures which will reduce all the policy constraints that hamper both public and private sector participation in housing provision in Lagos. To achieve mass production of housing in Lagos State, the government Housing Policy objectives must be restated to reflect both supply and equity objectives, the housing sector must be seen as a whole (the holistic approach) and as a market, the building industry must be organised, a housing database bureau and GIS must be created, and the Land Use Act 1980 must be reviewed.

Key words: National Housing Policy, Housing Programmes, Urban Residents, Slums and Squatter Settlements, Housing Delivery, Public Private Sector Participation.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A study on the nature of the dynamics of housing in Nigeria, with Lagos State as an example, requires a tremendous amount of commitment, both intellectually and in terms of data gathering, which to a large extent are not readily available.

Sometimes there was a need to engage in long solitary analysis of conflicting and often outdated data. More often than not, one had to obtain information from diverse sources which included reviewing copious literature, analysis of voluminous data and presentation of up to date graphic information concerning the subject matter; all of this is in the nature of a PhD study.

The enormity of these tasks was made easier by a number of people and agencies who contributed in no small measure to the successful completion of this thesis.

Firstly, I wish to thank my supervisor, the renowned geographer, Professor Tayo Odumosu, for his unrelenting patience and encouragement in the long and tedious course of the study. His contribution cannot be quantified.

Secondly, I thank His Excellency, the former President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Olusegun Aremu Matthew Obasanjo, GCFR for having appointed me as a member of the Presidential Committee on Housing and Urban Development in Nigeria. That singular opportunity convinced me that our able President was determined to tackle the housing problems in Nigeria for the first time.

Thirdly, I am also grateful to Mr Ibrahim Rotimi Aliu for assisting in the administration of questionnaires for this study. He had to be at all the twenty Local Government Areas of the State on two or more occasions to ensure not only that the respondents’ responses were collected, but also that those houses chosen for the study were carefully observed. I also thank my former colleagues in the Ministry when I served as the pioneer Honourable Commissioner of Housing in Lagos State (1999-2003). They assisted me in no small measure in data gathering, and it was from this vantage point that I had the insight to problems of housing delivery in our dear State.

Fourthly, but most importantly, I express my gratitude to my nuclear family especially my dear wife Olabisi, my children, Temitope, Omoyele and Olaotan for putting up with my piles of research papers on the dining room table.

Finally, I thank all the authors mentioned in the references, local and international agencies, and my staff at Towry-Coker Associates, especially my secretary, Mrs Tolulope Musa, who did all the typing and typesetting of the manuscript.

We cannot but praise the Almighty for the opportunity given to us to be able to add substantially to the nebulous world of research into housing delivery in Lagos State.

LIST OF TABLES

2.1 House Occupancy Ratio in Selected Nigerian Towns (1970-71)

2.2 Housing Conditions in Selected Urban Centres (1973)

2.3 Occupancy Ratio in Metropolitan Lagos (1975)

2.4 Distribution of Households by Water Supply in Selected State Capitals (1999)

2.5 Housing Price-Income Ratio

3.1 Lagos Population 1871-1963

3.2 Lagos State Population 2006

3.3 Average Daily Water Provision of the Lagos Water Works (2000)

3.4 Air travel in Lagos, Nigeria 2005-2006

3.5 Planned Housing Schemes in Metropolitan Lagos (1955-1979)

4.1 Marital Status of Respondents with Respect to Gender

4.2 Age Distribution of Respondents According To Gender

4.3 Household Size of Respondents

4.4 Length of Stay in Lagos

4.5 Distribution of Respondents According to Educational Attainment and Gender

4.6 Occupational Status of Respondents

4.7 Income Distribution of Lagos Residents

4.8 Number of Children in School

4.9 Respondents’ Expenditure on School Fees

4.10 Expenses on Food per Household

4.11 Saving Propensity Towards Housing

6.1 House Ownership/Tenancy According to Gender

6.2 Survey of Security of Tenure in Lagos

6.3 Housing Type of Lagos Residents

6.4 Table of the Observed Monthly Income and Housing Type

6.5 Table of Education and Housing Status

6.6 Occupancy Ratio in Lagos

6.7 Occupancy in Each Locality

6.8 House Rentals Paid by Respondents in Lagos

7.1 Low Cost Housing Scheme Performance in Lagos

7.2 Sites and Services Provision Scheme

7.3 Aided Self-Help Housing Programme

7.4 Performance of Housing Programmes in Lagos

7.5 Analysis of Variance (ANOVA Table)

7.6 Contribution of NHF to Mortgage Finance in Nigeria

7.7 Level of Mortgage System Patronage in Lagos

7.8 Housing Delivery by Government in Lagos (1999-2003)

7.9 Housing Programme by Federal and State Governments (1975-1980)

7.10 Household Expenditure on Housing as Percentage of Respondents’ Income

7.11 Prices of Land in Lagos

LIST OF FIGURES

2.1 A Model of Housing Market

2.2 The Concentric Circle Theory (Burgess, E W 1925)

2.3 The Sector Model (Homer Hoyt 1939)

2.4 The Multiple Nuclei Theory (Harris, C D and Ullman,EL – 1945)

3.1 Map of Nigeria Showing Lagos State

3.2 Map of Lagos Showing Local Government Areas

3.3 Map of Lagos Showing Waterways

4.1 Gender Distribution of Respondents

SOME TERMS USED AND THEIR MEANINGS

ADB - African Development Bank

ASH - Aided Self/Cooperative Housing

CBO - Community Based Organisation

FHA - Federal Housing Authority

FMBN - Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria

FOS - Federal Office of Statistics

HDB - Housing Database Bureau

HIP - Housing Indicators Program

HMM - Housing Market Model

IBRD - International Bank for Reconstruction and Development

LCHS - Low Cost Housing Scheme

LEDB - Lagos Executive Development Board

LSDPC - Lagos State Development & Property Corporation

NBS - National Building Society

NCOH - National Council of Housing

NHF - National Housing Fund

NIA - Nigerian Institute of Architects

NISER - National Institute of Social & Economic Research

NTDA - New Town Development Authority

OPIC - Ogun State Property Investment Corporation

PFA - Policy Feasibility Approach

PIES - Policy Impact Evaluative Strategy

PMIs - Primary Mortgage Institutions

PPPS - Public and Private Participation Strategy

SAS - Site and Services Provision Scheme

UHLM - Urban Housing Location Model

UNDP - United Nations Development Program

WHO - World Health Organisation

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to Study

The inherent issues in housing delivery in Nigeria are not only numerous, but also highly emotive. This is because the housing situation in Nigeria has reached a particularistic and, even a precarious dimension or what Agbola characterises as a sort of débâcle. The extent of the perceived quandary in the housing delivery efforts has been summed up in the number of substantive empirical works that have been carried out on housing in Nigeria. In the last two decades, the discourse has ranged from the issues of finance, collapsed structures, poor building materials, to high urban land prices and unaffordable housing, and a host of others (Sada and numerous others).

The issues in housing arouse high emotions because of the abysmal depth to which the provision of housing has sunk over time, culminating in the evolution of slums and squalid dwellings, high room occupation density and general overcrowding, especially, in urban centres of the country. Of course, the issues are critical in view of the multidimensional aspect of their underlying social implications. The apparent frustrations that housing delivery efforts have encountered as a result of unworkable, ineffective and unrealistic housing policies at one time or the other, are now well established as the rationale behind the persistent problems of housing in Nigerian urban centres, such as Lagos, the economic nerve centre of the nation. Unfortunately, before the present study, little or no research work had been done in this regard.

Indeed, the problem is more one of the need to ensure an adequate supply (quantitatively and qualitatively) of houses to match an overwhelming demand. This will have the effect of producing rents which are able to meet the resources of various income groups especially within the urban area. These homes must also be profitable or enjoy a subsidy.

Persistent studies of the housing situation in Nigerian cities reveal that it is characterised by an inadequacy for which a combination of social, economic, financial, demographic and technological factors is responsible. Throughout Nigeria, for instance, statistics show clearly that urban dwellings are generally overcrowded and lacking in the most, rudimentary amenities, and this is compounded by a deplorable urban land usage. In its first post-independence census in 1963, Nigeria’s population was 55.6 million. In 1973, it was 79.7 million, in 1983 it was 90 million and in 1996 it was 106 million. The 1991 census put Nigeria’s population at 88.992 million. Presently, the population is estimated to be about 140.8million.

Due to ‘in-migration’, Lagos has continued to receive more migrants than any part of the country. For example, it was estimated that over 650,000 people migrated to metropolitan Lagos over a period of eleven years between 1952 and 1963 (Green) and since then the rate of net migration into the city continues to rise tremendously.

The rapid urban population expansion has brought in its wake severe problems amongst which the provision of adequate housing facilities remains, perhaps, the most challenging. Housing need in Nigerian urban centres, especially Lagos, has been exacerbated by a combination of factors.

There is a bulk of traditional housing in our cities that is unsuitable for habitation

Rural-urban migration, which assumed a great proportion in the last two decades, has aggravated the housing needs of urban centres in Nigeria

The natural increase in population within the urban centres themselves demands additional dwelling units to house the increasing population

In response to the great demand for houses, unplanned, and substandard private housing units straddle the urban precincts with the eventual emergence of slums and unstructured shanties.

Of course one tends to ask: is there any policy framework that guides housing in Nigeria? Secondly, if there is one, how does it operate and where? Thirdly, on what basis is the Nigerian Housing Policy formulated and implemented? Is the Housing Policy politically, economically and operationally feasible and viable?

Honestly speaking, there have been few known successful housing programmes at any

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