CHAPTER ONE
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Housing
is generally recognized as on of man’s necessity for his social welfare.
In
Nigeria, successive national
development plans have accepted in principle, that every Nigeria should have a right to a
relatively clean, state, healthy and habitable accommodation. However, may Nigeria
do not have access to such habitable accommodation. Particularly in most urban
area many people live in sub-standard
houses in environment that are unhygienic and sub-human, however, emphasis of
the past government housing facing major Nigeria town.
The
perception of housing in Nigeria
is predominantly that of neighbour hood and home safety, but as the planner of
the fourth national development plan reminds us, inspite of its (Housing)
importance, there is unfortunately needed dwelling units. This situation is
said to be very serous in developing counties of the world where growth are
preceding more rapidly and where the gap between and effort is greatest. But
equally serious units, the old housing constantly failing below changing social
standard of adequacy.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS
In
the past before the independence of Nigeria in 1960 during the period
of British rules hardly any attempt was made to solve the housing problem of
the common people except building bungalows for the civil servant on the
conception of colonial way of living within an independent large composition.
Apart for that, some residential houses where built just to accommodate only
junior civil servant in the administration in the large industrial canters.
Although there is no country in the world, which is dewed o0f housing problem,
the problem of housing is more devastating in the developing country where
there are other problem concomitant unit he issue of shelter, such as income
etc.
In
Nigeria,
successive Government at both the Local and Federal levels have show concern at
the plight of developing urban dwellers as reflected in the various developing
plans. It is however, safe to note that since 1960, housing in these developing
urban canter or university town has show little or no significant changes.
According to (ONIBOKUN, 1989), housing reflects the cultural social and
economic values of society, as it is the best physical and historical evidence
of civilization in a country.
The
problem of housing in a university town associated with the difficulties of
producing basic infrastructure such as pile-born mater. The problem of
providing medical centers recreation facilities for the people, and also there
is a great storage of adequate housing facilities in Nigeria town is very hill
know and in many cases, the inadequacy finds expression in a very high rate of
occupancy ration.
Ekpoma
town is not excluded in this universal problem of housing Ekpoma. Presently is
experiencing acute housing shortage, and this is because it is an institutional
city or town. A built of houses in Ekpoma are traditional block houses most of
which are dilapidated. While some of the building are in bad condition due to
lack of maintenance. All these contributed to the housing problem currently
facing Ekpoma town.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The
major focus of this study is the problems facing housing in Ekpoma and in Nigeria
in general. The study is intended to examine the economic social structure in
Ekpoma with a view to highlighting the principal cause of today housing
problems. Also this study unit examine the extant to which the rapid
urbanization has contributed to the varied nature of housing problem in
university with particular reference to Ekpoma.
In
this regard, emphasis unit placed on the potential adaptability to the housing
problems situation with a view to know the dimension of the housing problems so
as to determine whether the conditions are deteriorating or improving.
It
is also deemed necessary to provide a basis for developing housing policy in
the country in general and to suggest have it can be made more reliant to the
prevailing social condition in the urban centres of the country.
1.4 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS
In
order to examine critically the influence of taste, culture, income level,
modernization, rapid urban growth and the social status of individual on
housing problem in Ekpoma the following hypothesis are considered.
1.
There is no correlation between
income distribution and the quality of the house an individual is prepared to
occupy in Ekpoma town.
2.
There are variation in housing
types throughout the study area.
3.
There are relationship between
increase in population and increase in housing needs in the town of Ekpoma.
1.5 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
The
main focus of this study is to examine the problem of housing in a university
town. In doing this some methods of data collection were adopted to arrive at
the expected goals. This research was also based of field investigation, using
questionnaire, direct observation, oral interviews and this will form the
primary source of data.
The
secondary source of data, which are not in original form, for they have been
used, unit be obtained from articles library textbooks, and news papers.
1.5.1
DATA
REQUIRED AND THEIR SOURCES
The
sources of information for this study are both primary and secondary, the
former is based on personal interviews, personal observation and questionnaires
designed conducted by the researcher in the area of study. While the late is
centred on information obtained form journals book seminar papers and
un-published documents as well as media prints. Some of information in the
secondary sources were drawn from text books journals and other relevant
sources as related to the study.
1.5.2 DATA COLLECTION
The
method of data collection in this study is based on two major sources. There
are primary and secondary sources respectively. The primary data in clued raw
data from personal interview with various people in both the central place and
the surrounding villages.
There
is still another method of data collection which will be inform of
interpersonal contact with the inhabitant of the various villages in the Local
Government area.
The
secondary sources involved the use of already treated data, available from
publication of government, journals, test books, and institutions. This will be
of literature reviews of what past scholar have written about the topic-role of
rural central place which have been processed and used in one form or the
other, they may be inform of charts, histogram and statistical techniques. Also
in this work, information will be collected for government agencies such as
Esan West Local Government Area population commissions office.
1.5.3 PROBLEM OF DATA COLLECTION
The
problems uncounted during the process of collection data for this study
include.
1.
Inadequate data on the role of
rural central places in the various offices.
2.
Ignorance on the part of
respondent in the area.
3.
In the collection of data, the
research was also faced with financial difficulty.
1.5.4
METHODS
OF DATA ANALYSIS
The
method used in analysing the data collected for this research work varies from
descriptive and simple table, data are show in tables ease further analysis.
The cartographic methods used include constriction of maps.
Various
statistical techniques such as the students T-test of two means, that is the
chi-square test, product moment correlation co-efficient and the F-test will
also be used in the analysis.
1.6 STUDY AREA
Ekpoma,
the scale of Edo State University
is the headquarters of Esan West Local Government Area. Ekpoma is located on
latitude “6036 and 649” North and longitude 60.02 and 6015, East of the Greenwich,
it has a projected population of 63, 467 and it is about 98 from Benin city the capital city of Edo State.
Then entire region is a plateau underlain by lignite group of rock consisting
of clays, fine-grained sand, lignite’s.
The
plateau is divided into structural components namely the flat terrain and the deeply
dissented slope, which marks the sides the terrain among other factors
contributed to the development of the town
A
major or highway from Benin city
links Ekpoma to Auchi North Wards, the people of Ekpoma are successful farmers
concentrating mainly on rice and yam production. Ekpoma people have a culture
is associated with other parts of Esan. This culture is believed to have taken
its root form old Benin
empire. Thus, they believe in the extended family system, inter-marriage and
living close to relations.
However,
the town is rapidly changing from a additional monoculture peculiar to its
people to a modern town of varying people. This is as a result influx, of
migrant from one state to another state.
1.6.1 GENERAL CHARACTERISTIC
The
research lie in the fact that an analysis of housing problems in the study area
will help to solve the spontaneously generate set of housing units consisting
of
rustic and dilapidated structure which constitute not only an eyesore but also
a clean indication of a primitive settlement.
1.6.2 SOIL
The
soil is incompatible acceptable to erosion which involves the easy mash among
of soil partakes. It contains different t types of sand, which can be named as
sand soil, loamy soil, and clay soil, which are also available in the main
community and fine grained sand carbonaceous day.
1.6.3 VEGETATION
The
study is covered with low forest suanna-sone and the study area also belong to
the tropical rainforest, which comprises of tress that attain the most
comfortable condition, the rest are the short tree and the rest of the herbivorous
and term plans.
Majority
of the people in the area are engaged in similar and interrelated occupation.
The economic of the areas revolve around farming, mainly subsistence
agriculture. Various actinides from the traditional occupation of Ekpoma people.
But of recent the subsequent establishment of industries in the area have made
people of the area to more from rural employment. e.g farming to salaried
employment with the various companies.
POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
The
rapid population growth increase the demand of the different health service
centres, consequently an increase in the cost of health centre which mainly
affect the people of the community that is over population poses high demand of
available health services centres which involved with both motherly and
child, especially the children who are
involved, Different types of hilliness over population we may understand that
is lead to poverty, lead to hunger and this lead to sickness etc.
In
this study, the population is estimated about 90,927 due to the 1991 census, at
that particular period to the present day the population changes its increase
every day.
Although,
some people died as a result of disease, poverty accidents. Etc. yet there is
an increase in population which the member of the various health centres cover
up the problem of the people living in the study area.
1.6.4 POLITICAL BACKGROUND
The political background of Ekpoma town,
which is also the headquarters of Esan West Local Government Area of Edo State,
Ekpoma lies about 80 kilometers northeast of Benin it is made up of twenty one
settlements and ten wards, Egoro Amede and Idoa, in the East bound. Ekpoma in
the North by Opoji, while Urohi bound it in the South and in the west by West
Local Government Area.
1.6.5
CLIMATE
The study area is high, the renge of
temperature is between 210c-30c (Orubu 1979) Ekpoma situated in part of the
mettest part of Nigeria
in the coastal belt and as such the south means blows onshore throughout the
year; there is no month entirely without rain, but the rainfall is least during
December, January and February.
The average rainfall varies between
200mm to 300mm. The temperature between December and January is 20-30 which is
characterized by annual rainfall of about 1m1-2m1.
1.6. 2 PHYSICAL LANDSCAPE
Esan west local government lie within
latitude 6036 and 60 49 North and longitude 602
and 6015 East of the Greenwich, it is
bounded in the North and east by Esan West Local government in Edo State.
Affected by the element of rainfall and temperature.
The rainfall pattern is seasonal, the
rural season starts in march and extended to September, October and November in
most case. As Much as1700- 2100mm could be recorded during the speak periods of
fully and August. However, rainfall during the months of February, October and
November and way low and there may not be rains in February and November is
some cases.
The temperature is as stabled level of
21-30oc during the hottest months (December and January) and it less
during others Months.
Thanks for the work done
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