Challenges of Low-cost Housing Delivery in Nigeria (A Case Study of Imo State)
Chapter One
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE
As a result of the identified problems, the general objective of this study is to Evaluate the challenges of low-cost housing delivery in Nigeria, especially in the imo state. To achieve this aim, the researcher has adopted the low-cost housing programme of Alhaji Shehu Shagari who was at the helm of affairs during this period (1979-1983) and how it was implemented in the imo state.
The specific objectives are:
To find out what led to the promulgation of the low-cost housing policy during Nigeria’s Second Republic.
To ascertain whether the implementation of this Federal Government Housing Policy improved the housing situation in Imo State.
To find out the Challenges Of Low-Cost Housing Delivery in Imo State.
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
HOUSING POLICY AND ITS FORMULATION
Globally, shelter is accepted as an essential basic human need. It is regarded as a social responsibility by all nations of the world. The World Health Organisation describes housing as “an enclosed environment in which man finds protection against the elements”. This definition, according to Nwosu, (1981:13) “is partial and narrow and may have sufficiently served the pre-historic man whose main objective was to achieve bare existence within the circumstances dictated by his natural environment”. Instead, as Nigeria’s Third National Development Plan 1975-80 aptly puts it, “housing does not only represent one of the most basic human needs in terms of protection against natural elements, it also no doubt has “a profound impact on the health, welfare and productivity of the individual” (FRN 1975:3097).
According to Abrams, (1964:x), “housing is not only shelter but part of the fabric of neighbourhood life and of the whole social milieu, it touches on many facets of industrialization, economic activity and development”. Housing, Iyortyer, (1984:4) opines “is a strong indispensable casual element in all manner of progress initiated and sustained by both the individual and his society. Housing is the second most important requirement to man. It transcends simple shelter”. According to Willey, (2001:30), “housing includes utilities and community services like electricity, water supply, good access roads, sewage and requires disposal facilities and access to employment”.
Housing is important to the development of the society in both economic, social and welfare terms.
Njoku, (1998:39) opines: the quality and quantity of housing stock is a reliable barometer of the standard of living, the level of technology, culture and civilization of any nation. To the English man, his house is his castle, which protects him from all comers; to a Nigerian, status in society is difficult to establish if one has no house. In many Nigerian cultural settings, a chieftaincy title cannot be bestowed on an individual who does not own a house within the locality. In modern society, housing constitutes between twelve and twenty per cent of household expenditures and is usually the major goal of family saving efforts.
In the realm of private and public investment, Ajanlekoo, (2002:7) writes, “the built environment (which includes shelter) represents man’s most tangible material asset representing up to 20 to 30 per cent of fixed capital formation in areas with vigorous housing programmes and it is increasingly recognized as a profitable investment item, yielding a flow of income”. Housing is “a very expensive capital investment, which forms substantial proportion of every nation’s Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF). No nation in the world can boast of having economic capability of providing housing to all her citizens without other amenities suffering” (FMI, 1979:12).
For Gana, (2002:6), “a home may indeed be regarded as the greatest antidote for man against the vagaries of modern living. It is the last bastion of peace and relaxation of mind and body, and therefore the sine qua non for sanity in a world of toil, sweat, tribulations and even happiness”. (Nwosu,1981:24) states that “it represents the most sanguine and restful primary nest for the nurturing of new generations of the human species. A good homestead is thus the precious life-blood of civilization itself”, Housing at different epoch, remains “strategic asset to man, irrespective of his social-economic status, colour or creed. The passion and emotional attachment to housing in African cultural setting was underscored by the fact, that one is not considered a man until he owns a house” (Okupe, 2002:14). As opined by Ajanlekoko, (2002:13)
“at the center piece of all human endeavours is the ambition to bequeath a lasting legacy to his family or off-springs. Majority of this dream is seen in the context of home ownership. Housing is generally believed to be the ultimate reward or outcome of a successful life accomplishment”.
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
Method And Source Of Data Collection
The survey research design was used for this study. Survey design studies the characteristics of a large population and adopted three instruments – formal discussion/interview, questionnaire and extant literature. The formal discussion/interview was held using structured and unstructured questions as shown in Appendix 2 . The questions were coined in such a way that they would enhance the receipt of reliable information. The information received from the interviewees complemented the information received through the questionnaire. fifty-item survey questions was constructed for use in the data collection.
Items included in the survey instrument were developed from statements and questions included in the Housing policy formulation in Nigeria with particular reference to the Second Republic Housing Programme and Public Administration, especially as it concerns Policy Making and Policy Implementation.
In administration of instruments and scoring, copies of the questionnaire were distributed_ personally to several respondents using purposive sampling method. The reason was to ensure that copies of the questionnaire were given to the right respondents, the respondents being guided as certain questions were explained to them. The two questionnaires named Form 1 and Form 2 which are attached as Appendices XA and XB were designed in such a way that they included both structured and unstructured questions. The reason was to give the respondents the opportunity to express their views in relation to the objective of the research work. Two cover letters were written by the researcher, describing the purpose of the study and solicite d the cooperation of subjects in the completion and return of the survey instrument. In completion of either Form 1 or Form 2 of the survey instrument, subjects used two numerical scales as contained in the Procedure for Data Analyses. The Questionnaire and formal discussion/interview represent the primary source of data.
CHAPTER FOUR
This chapter is concerned with the presentation analysis and interpretation of data collected. In testing the hypothesis, a total number of hundred (80) questionnaire were sent out to both directors, and rank and file in Akwa Ibom State Water Company Limited, Uyo. Ninety (60) representing over 90% were duly returned to the researcher, the work of this chapter was done based on the information give on the questionnaire.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
INTRODUCTION
This chapter presents the summary of the research study besides, the conclusions arising there are presented and conclusions of the study.
SUMMARY
Sequel to the series of low cost housing delivery policy implementation measures as introduced by governments over the past years, it has become relevant, at least for academic and administrative purposes to evaluate the impact and effectiveness of these housing policies on the recipients. Results of such as assessment often serve as guides and reason for improvements when necessary.
Among the various Federal Government housing policies in NIgeria, the Second Republic housing policy (1979-1983) though a failure, was the only one that gave high priority rating to housing. It adopted an elaborate national housing programme based on the concept of affordability and owner-occupier with the low-income earners as its target group. This study is aimed at examining the degree or extent to which the Federal Government housing policy implementation in Imo State (1979-2008) was attained or was preferred. Consequently, the use of oral interview and questionnaire technique as the main research instruments provided useful platform for this study.
Data were collected by the administration of a fifty item survey instrument which was administered to seventy (70) senior management, middle management as well as junior workers of the various housing construction and housing financing establishments in Imo State. These subjects were divided into two groups of twenty-five each who rated the extent to which the goals of the Second Republic Housing Policy were attained in Imo State and the preferred goals which the Policy was expected to achieve. Data used for treatment and analysis in this study were provided by responses from the returned sixty-six usable survey instruments.
The findings revealed utter disregard of ethical norms and values which resulted into various indisciplined acts and reckless implementation of the Federal Government Second Republic Housing policy in Imo State. It further revealed that this Housing Policy implementation in Imo State, lacked the ability to execute consistently, and so, its strategic plans continued to be a pipe dream.
Implementation is perhaps the most important competitive advantage for national housing policy. With sophistry and guile culture, it is not surprising that efforts made so far by governments to solve the problems facing the housing sector in Nigeria, with particular reference to Imo State have proved grossly ineffective. The problem of housing is an ongoing developmental issue involving improvement rather than solution. Its improvement is defined in developmental terms and not simply in terms of the number of dwelling units. What is required therefore is an ongoing monitoring process which assesses, measures, identifies changes in circumstances, and tests responses.
Above all, any project or programme has a higher chance of success if it is based on the expressed needs of the community and the community is a key actor in its implementation, monitoring and evaluation. This can only be achieved when sophistry and guile are reduced to the barest minimum in our system
CONCLUSION
The study carried out a survey of challenges of low cost housing delivery with regards to policy Policy Implementation in Imo State (1979-2017). Purposeful respondents from Government and private building and construction industry were used. Their reponses were critically used in the analysis of data.
According to the outcome of the study, the researcher was able to identify the intrinsic variables bearing on the implementation of low cost housing scheme of the Second Republic housing policy in Imo State. Prominent among these factors were inherent weakness in the Policy, administrative conflict between the NPN Federal Government and the NPP State Government in Imo State, an exponential growth of housing users due to the uncontrolled population increase and urban migration, endemic corrupt practice and weak enforcement of contracts, lack of sound leadership and incompetent personnel, Government laws and policies, imposed heavy and multiple taxes on the importation of building materials, poor location of sites, faulty design of the housing units. For all the years of its development, our housing policy has remained a “nascent policy rather like a man suffering from arrested development and who, therefore, exhibited the mannerisms of a child. Put differently, the inordinate ambition of the leaders and the sophistry and guile culture with their attendant negetive and terrible influence on our people combined to stultify the housing policy implementation in Imo State.
Inspite of all the promises made by the Federal Government since 1999 to 2017, the implementation of the Housing programmes is yet to commence in Imo State. The study also revealed that even though past governments had been involved in the housing sector, the effective implementation of their low cost housing delivery.
RECOMMENDATIONS
To achieve the goal of efficient low cost housing delivery and effective implementation of the second republic housing policy, the following specific recommendations are suggested:
- Adoption of a realistic housing delivery strategy that the generality of the populace can benefit from. In order to increase the quantity of housing to reach the populace, the Federal and State Governments should evolve some strategies. These strategies include some partial solutions such as site and services, core housing, as well as supports and financial loans. In other words, user participation should be encouraged, and government should set up co-operative shops in all the Local Government Headquarters for the sale of building materials.
- The Federal Government should direct that the Housing Corporations in the States be given self autonomy, with a view to making the Housing Corporations self-reliant. They should also be allowed to charge economic rents as the participation of the Federal and State Ministries of Works and Housing might not help the economic situation in the country.
- Government should be shorn of all square pegs in round holes and Nigerians must avoid acts that tend to turn Government into a circus. For our housing policy not to be imperiled, Government must not be like charity or worse still an employment agency that finds jobs for the unemployed, merely because of party affiliation.
- For housing policy to succeed in Nigeria, it must settle the issue of who has Legislative power over the subject of land and the issue of the ownership of land. In other words, there should be a flexible workable land market before the Private Sector can effectively and efficiently deliver, and those who buy in this market must have no doubt whatsoever as to the security of tenure of their holdings. This brings in security of tenure – a very important requirement of any land tenure system without which the private sector can hardly play any meaningful role in any national housing delivery policy.
- The Imo State Planning and Economic Development Commission should conduct a study of population movement in order to determine housing needs in terms of urban growth to enable the State government effect implementation of any housing programme the federal government may conceive in the interest of the masses.
- Federal Mortgage Bank should be revived and it should strive to reach the masses through easy home ownership scheme. Their present system oflending is too lengthy, tedious and time wasting. In addition, the bank should extend its services to the rural areas where about 80% of Nigerians reside, while the machinery for loan repayment from borrowers should be properly monitored for the benefit of new customers.
- 7. Government should give incentives to banks and insurance companies for the contributions they are mandated to make to the National Housing Funds. Mandating the contribution may not be practicable if there is no economic return on it, instead the support of these institutions should be sought by providing incentives like tax holiday and foreign exchange allocation increase since their contributions form the heartbeat of the National Housing Fund.
- Rehabilitation of housing stock to ensure that the life of existing stock of housing is prolonged. Emphasis should be laid on good town planning and workable environmental sanitation. Slums should be discouraged while health and useful housing programme should be incorporated.
- Government should stop paying lip service to housing by avoiding conflicting policy statements, for example, Housing for all by year 2020 in one voice, another voice is asking for Value Added Tax (VAT) on housing: and 15%-30% on Government’s consent to housing transaction.
- Value Added Tax (VAT) should either be waived or reduced because more often than not, it has served as a disincentive to individuals wishing to acquire properties since they have to make an extra payment of 5% of the total cost of the properties acquired. VAT for those who take mortgages does not make sense. It should not be applicable to construction at all. It should be limited to luxuries.
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