Public and Quasi‐Public Sponsored Housing in Nigeria: An Appraisal
| Author | D.C.I. Okpala |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1980.tb01080.x |
| Published date | 01 October 1980 |
| Date | 01 October 1980 |
Public and Quasi-Public Sponsored Housing
in Nigeria: An Appraisal
•
D. C. I.
OKPALA*
INTRODUCTION
The
Nigerian Governments have shown concern for the urban housing problem in
recent years and have made policy efforts at ameliorating the situation. These
concerns are evident from the several measures, including increasing allocation
of
funds for housing production in the successive National Development Plans. In the
first Plan (1962-68)1 for example, the government proposed to build 24,000
housing units," but this was only in Lagos, the Federal Capital. In the second Plan
(1970-74), an allocation
ofN2.6
1million was made for the housing sector and great
emphasis was placed on the expansion
of
credit facilities for housing construction,
and the importation
of
building materials was liberalised.
The
Third
National
Development Plan (1975-80) initially allocated
*1.837
billion for housing by all
governments.
The
dominant project in this subsector was the Federal
Government's housing programme which involved direct construction
of
low rental
dwelling units
of
about 60,000 units at various locations in the country.
The
allocation to housing in this Plan was later revised upwards to
*2.256
billion and
the number of housing units to be directly built by the government also revised
upwards from the original 60,000 to 200,000 units.
While these governments intentions and policy efforts in recent years have been
impressive, the approach, however, has seemed to be faulty.
The
result is that, in
spite
of
the best
of
intentions, government's efforts had had minimal impact on the
housing problem.
This
faulty approach is the government's involvement in direct
housing construction.
Principally (though may not be wholly) as a result of this approach government pro-
duced housing in Nigeria has tended to be characterised by five major features,
namely:
1restricted accessibility and concentration
of
publicly controlled housing on a few
beneficiaries;
2 high cost - which intensifies the restriction in accessibility;
*Dr Okpala is a Lecturer at the Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research, Ibadan.
IFederation of Nigeria: National Development Plan 1962-68.
2A housing unit is defined by the Plan as one accommodating six people.
JApprox 78
Naira=£J.
270
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