AN EXAMINATION ON THE IMPACT OF THE STATE GOVERNMENT TOWARDS THE HOUSING PROVISION IN OSUN STATE

ABSTRACT

This study examined the impact of state government on housing provision in Osun State. The study adopted a descriptive survey design to sample the opinion of respondents. This method involved random selection of respondents who were administered with questionnaires. Relevant conceptual, theoretical and empirical literature was reviewed. The target population of the study comprised selected students from selected residents from Osun State. The questionnaire administered was three hundred and ten (310) copies and three hundred copies (300) retrieved which constitute the sample size. The descriptive and analytical approach was adopted using Chi-square to test and analyze the hypotheses earlier stated.Findings revealed that state government significantly impacted on housing provision in Osun State. The finding of the study also reveals that state government helped in creating decent, available and affordable house in Osun State. The findings of the study also reveal that there is a significant relationship between state government policy and housing provision among Osun State. The finding of the study also reveals that state government provide efficiency housing structures that beautifies its surrounds and act as the tourism centre. The findings of the study reveal that deficiency of housing finance arrangement is one of the factors affecting housing provision in Osun State. It was therefore concluded that state government significantly have impact on the housing provision in Osun State. It was recommended that there should be an inclusion of the end users in the design stage, especially projects targeting low income group and middle income group, to help in achieving appropriate housing delivery strategy by housing providers in terms of the provision of an efficient and user responsive housing units.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Few residential communities developed throughout Nigeria by the federal and state governments were able to satisfy many Nigerians' housing needs. One of a man's most important needs is shelter. In the hierarchy of human needs, it was formerly considered second to food, but according to Ebie (2009), it is now the most crucial and fundamental right.According to him, housing is now a right due to the significance attached to its provision as well as the fact that a proper housing unit in all of its ramifications is more than just a collection of buildings because it includes all social services and utilities that contribute to making a neighbourhood or community a livable environment.Despite being insufficient, the Nigerian federal government and numerous business organisations have invested in the construction of residential estates in order to make money and satisfy Nigerians' housing demands.Despite the fact that this provision cannot be put into practise, it strengthens the case for large government investment in housing provision in Nigeria. This study, however, is focusing on the role of the Osun State Government in the creation of residential estates in the state. A residential housing estate is a collection of residences and other structures constructed as a unified project.Depending on the country, the precise form could change. As a result, a housing estate is typically constructed by a single contractor employing only a few different home or building design styles, which gives them a tendency to have a homogeneous appearance.The demand for security, safety, and proper socio-economic status of individuals and communities are all strongly correlated with the desire for adequate and cheap housing.Despite the fact that the importance of housing is widely understood and despite numerous efforts to provide appropriate and cheap housing for the majority of people, a sizable number of urban dwellers in less developed nations lack access to acceptable housing at a reasonable price (Tipple, 2004; 2006; Greene and Rojas, 2008).

In light of this, the majority of urban dwellers in developing nations reside in housing conditions that are abhorrent to human dignity and have horrifying social, economic, spatial, and health effects (Coker et al., 2007; UNFPA, 2007). As a result, governments and people in many developing nations have continued to pay attention to the intractable problem of inadequate housing conditions. According to earlier research, Nigeria's successive governments have initiated at least seven residential housing schemes over the past few decades in an effort to solve the country's growing housing shortage (Akinmoladun&Oluwoye, 2007; Ademiluyi&Raji, 2008).However, a thorough review of the literature on public housing in developing nations identified three primary lines of criticism (Mukhija, 2004). First, it is said that most public housing projects are ineffective and poorly designed, failing to suit the demands of the intended population (Rondinelli, 1990; Mba, 1992). Second, the amount of residential estates created by the informal private sector is thought to dwarf the direct government engagement in housing provision (UN-HABITAT, 2006). Finally, government intervention in the housing market to control rising housing costs is viewed as counterproductive and a barrier to the efficient housing delivery system and the smooth operation of the housing market.

As a result of this, many academics and stakeholders have argued that the government should instead act as a partner, enabler, and facilitator of the housing process by putting in place the necessary incentives, policies, and regulatory framework to ensure that the private sector can effectively participate in the construction of residential estates (Ebie, 2009). It is crucial to highlight that while the federal government constructs the majority of the residential estates in Nigeria, state governments have not been able to contribute to the development of residential housing schemes. However, the majority of the local governments in Osun State have seen the construction of numerous prime units micro estates areas used primarily for homes. The construction of contemporary, reasonably priced homes for the people of Osun is still proceeding. However, Osun State lacks literature, particularly on the effect of the state government on housing provision in the state. It therefore based on this background that the present study seeks to examine the impact of State government towards housing provision Osun State.

Statement of the Problem

In Osun State, the housing scarcity is really severe. Even households with shelter are frequently forced to live in appallingly inadequate buildings, as evidenced by the increase in slums from 42 in 1985 to over 100 by January 2010. The deficiencies are widespread and the shortfall is both quantitative and qualitative. Residents in those colonies number in the hundreds of thousands in a metropolis like Osun (NEST, 2019).

According to Ong and Lenard (2002), the creation of residential real estate should be the result of a cooperative effort between the public and private sectors. This does not necessarily mean that the government's social responsibility to provide housing for the population will be reduced, but rather that housing will be produced using a cooperative strategy in an integrated way. Given the aforementioned criticisms and the need for a long-term solution to the housing shortage that is affecting most of Nigeria's states, including Osun State, it is critical to determine the role that state governments have played in providing residential real estate over time. Given that more than 60% of the population resides in metropolitan areas, the abysmal state of housing in Nigeria described above applies equally, if not more so, to Osun State.Thus, Osun State likewise participates in this global development reality. One of the most significant issues the state must address is how to provide the poor and low-income group with suitable and inexpensive housing. Unfortunately, current conditions show that the state government's goal of providing affordable housing to all citizens through the development of residential estates is still very distant from being realised. It is against this background that this study examines the State government towards housing provision Osun State.

Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this study is to examine the impact of state government on housing provision in Osun State. Specific objectives of the study include;

1. To determine the impact of state government on housing provision in Osun State.

2. To ascertain the factors that affects the housing provision in Osun State.

3. To examine the relationship between state government and housing provision in Osun State

Research Questions

The following questions guided the present study;

1. What is the impact of state government on housing provision in Osun State?
2. What are the factors that affects the housing provision in Osun State?
3. Is there a relationship between state government and housing provision in OsunState.

Research Hypotheses

The following were hypothesized;

Hypothesis 1

H0: There is no significantimpact of state government on housing provision in Osun State

H1: There is a significantimpact of state government on housing provision in Osun State

Hypothesis 2

H0: There is no significantrelationship between state government and housing provision in Osun State

H1: There is a significantrelationship between state government and housing provision in Osun State

Significance of the Study

It is without a doubt crucial to conduct research on how Osun State's state government affects the availability of housing. This is based on the idea that the results of previous government efforts to address the issue of providing enough, affordable, and sustainable housing in this State are unknown.

For better management of housing settlements both locally and in other emerging nations, the findings of this study will be helpful to local planning and regional planning authorities. Other researchers will find it useful for ongoing discoveries regarding the developing housing communities in their varied localities. The findings of this study will be helpful to nonprofit organisations like the World Health Organisation and United Nations Habitat as they plan their interventions in problem areas including waste management, education, and health. A greater knowledge of their responsibilities in community development, particularly in terms of infrastructure development in housing settlements, will be provided by this research to private developers, community leaders, and community members.

In order to account for the impact of residents' socioeconomic characteristics and institutional policies on the housing typologies, quality, and responsiveness to issues, this study explores the characteristics of housing development in Osun housing settlements through inhabitants' perception and observation. The results of the data analysis in this study's conclusions will help the local government properly manage Osun's housing development. Integration of the interface to the adjoining metropolitan zone has been plagued by a lack of empirical data on the rise of housing in the housing. Housing settlements in Osun State have been directly impacted by urbanisation, which necessitates attention in terms of policy and planning.

The rapid increase that is not taken into account by conventional development planning will be better captured by this study. In an effort to reduce informality and unchecked expansion, it will also aid in addressing the growing negative pattern of growth. The documenting of the growth of informal home development, the unregulated land market, and the quick development outside the bounds of land use management are also significant.As a result, this study will help to document the land speculation actions of private developers and public officials. It will aid in regulating how people react to zoning restrictions and development guidelines.

Scope of the Study

This study is limited to the impact of State government towards the housing provision in Osun State. Due attention was given to the determinants of residential housing choice across the high, medium and low density residential areas. It also restricted its horizon to privately-owned and rented houses. Publicly provided houses like low-cost housing and government staff quarters were excluded. This is because rents paid on such institutional housing do not reflect prevailing market values. The area of study was classified into high, medium and low population density areas. The respondents of this study were residents in Osun State.

Operational Definition of Terms

State Government: A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government. It shares political power with the federal or national government, and may have some level of political autonomy, or be subject to the direct control of the federal government.

Housing: Housing is a system of settings within which a certain system activities take place. It is more than dwelling, the neighbourhood and the environmental quality is significant.

Housing Provision: Housing provision is the process of providing adequate housing at an affordable price and accessible place with all the required facilities to make life comfortable and the environment worth living for today and generation to come.

Characteristics of housing: This represents the physical characteristics, attributes, forms, patterns and quality of housing.

Government-led housing: Housing development initiated and funded by the government and sold to interested persons, mostly called new towns and located in the periphery of city centres.

Informal housing development: This refers to buildings without proper regularisation and approval by the relevant authority.