INTEGRATED APPROACH: A SUSTAINABLE STRATEGY TO ADEQUATE HOUSING PROVISION BY THE URBAN POOR IN LOKOJA, NIGERIA

Abstract

The housing sector in Nigeria have always adopted single sectored or multi-sectored approaches to address the plaguing issue of housing deficit which have proven ineffective and partial. The most affected are the low income earners due to their inability to afford the rental values as well as other factors that impedes their access to adequate housing. This study is aimed at adopting strategies that will reduce the problem of poverty and aid affordability so as to ensure a sustainable provision of adequate housing. In achieving this, the study examined the provisions made by previous strategies in the study area that have been represented in sixteen (16) neighbourhoods made up of 1,836 housing units. 318 questionnaires were administered and 309 retrieved and analysed using SPSS. On another hand, focus group discussion was held to research the potency of integrated approach through participation over other strategies. A transcript was generated and subjected to analysis using Nvivo. With a highest representation of 33.3% of responses being related to local economic development followed by a 22.2% of responses related to urban governance, the study revealed that participation of people from all areas of life in the housing delivery process and related governance issues as well as engagement of the government in programmes that will improve the livelihoods of the urban poor will result in a more sustainable journey to adequate housing provision than the previously used strategy in the study area which reflects a mean index of 2.73 of the provision as fair, that is, not good enough. Therefore, better involvement in the governance as well as a concurrent improvement in the lives of the people will help every government achieve their prerogative of adequate housing provision not just for the urban poor but for all.