ANALYSIS OF LOW-INCOME HOUSING IN KANO, NIGERIA
BY:
TPL. Abubakar Sadiq Sani, MNITP, RTP.
HND (ARC), PGD (U&RP), ADLS, MSc..
BEING A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF:
Doctor of Management Degree in Town Planning.
OF THE
St Clements University
Reg. No. E 14905
Registered Office: Churchill Building, Grand Turk,
TURKS & CAICOS island, British West Indies.
Phone 1809 946 2828 Fax: 1809 946 2825
MARCH 2006
Preamble
This study appraises and analyses the indigenous low-income housing process, with particular reference to the city of Kano, Nigeria. As a background to the study, the low income housing processes in both the developing and developed countries of the world was reviewed and analysed.
The Dissertation discovers a lot of information on low-income housing: 1. The dissertation studied multi-lateral, bi-lateral, community development and government approaches to low-income housing in both developed and developing countries of the world and find that most approaches concentrates on project approach to housing. 2. The dissertation studied methods and techniques of low income housing in Kano and found that private sector participation produces over 90% of low-income housing, while the public sector participation is minimal. 3. That practice of mass construction of houses and the allocation of sites and serviced plots to low income-earners by governments and multi-lateral organisations sponsored programmes, in Kano does not satisfactorily benefit the low-income earners, because even when such houses/plots allocated, the beneficiaries sell the houses to the medium and high-income earners and move to other areas of inadequate housing. 4. The current formal practice of land acquisition, land allocation, housing planning and design, housing finance, building codes and housing construction, in Kano, is not inclusive and incompatible with the indigenous low-income housing process. 5. Governments use political consideration, rather than rationalistic means of identifying housing need and demand. 6. With the rapid growth of unplanned residential developments in areas like Chiranchi, Jaen, Kurnar asabe, Bachirawa, Dorayi, Kawo etc; while few formal residential developments are only at Mariri, Farawa and Zawachiki it is concluded that the growth of unplanned and illegal housing developments is significantly higher than that of public housing development. 7. The poverty level of the low income earners need to be addressed along side housing delivery through supportive programmes of tenure security and community based mechanisms of housing finance.
Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION.
1.1 INTRODUCTION.
Mankind first of all must eat, drink, and have shelter and clothing, before he can pursue politics, art and religion etc. (Frederick Engels, 1883). Shelter is necessary to everyone and the provision of housing, as a means of solving one of the urban problems, is one of the concerns of Town Planning. Housing as defined by the United Nations (UN) encompasses the housing unit and the entire ancillary services as well as community facilities that are necessary for human well-being.
It is difficult to satisfactorily define the low-income group, however for the purpose of the National housing policy, the low-income group has been defined as wage earners and self employed people whose annual income is =N= 5,000.00 or below as of 1988, or whose annual income is 20% or below the maximum annual income of the highest salary grade level within the civil service structure at any given time, whichever is higher.
In Nigeria 75% of the population is estimated to be of the Low-income group, the various civilian and military Governments have made concerted efforts to provide adequate housing to this group: But recent studies have shown that, the low income group has not adequately benefited from the Government programmes (Sani 2003).
The planning, design, financing, construction and management of low-income housing in a developing country like Nigeria, is of great concern to all stakeholders in housing development in terms of the extent that they accommodate the economical, socio-cultural and technological factors in the housing programme.
1.2 HOUSING PROBLEM.
Housing, one of the physiological needs of man has become a global problem. Despite the emphasis being laid on housing provision by people and various Governments, this basic human need has continued to elude many (Onibokun, 1985, Car et al, 1995 and Abiodun, 1985). In developing countries such as Nigeria governments have been making attempts at providing adequate housing to the low-income earners but studies have shown that this category of households are not well benefited (Sani 2003). Indeed, in many developing countries, the provision of shelter, particularly for the low-income group, is grossly inadequate. Despite the shelter programmes, projects and other forms of government action taken in many countries, the shelter problem prevails with increasing dimensions. Government involvement in the shelter sector ranges from the provision of completed housing units to several forms of supportive measures. Factors responsible for these problems include:
1. Government in Nigeria prefers solving housing problems through direct mass housing construction for staff accommodation and recently through partnerships for sale to individuals and organizations.
2. The cost of production of the houses by government is almost doubled that by an individual himself.
3. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Federal and Kano State governments, have been making attempts to solve low-income housing problems through allocation of Site and Serviced plots and direct construction of mass houses, such projects allocated to the Low-income earners, end with land speculators; and requires long and complicated bureaucratic procedures and costs before they can be developed, thereby forcing the Low-income earners to look outside the government land allocation system to the informal ones (un planned areas).
4. The housing process in Nigeria (legislation, planning, design, financing, construction and maintenance) is unnecessarily too lengthy, complicated and has lots of un-necessary bureaucratic bottlenecks.
5. The government-constructed houses for low-income housing lack maintenance programme to provide adequate housing.
6. The building code in Nigeria specifies the use of imported, modern building materials, instead of locally produced materials that are more conducive to the environment. This contributes to the depletion of the country’s foreign reserves, and high cost of housing supply.
7. The houses built with the modern building materials, are neither adequate in terms of foreign standards nor bear any representation to our progressive cultural link to the past and environment.
The inadequate and, sometimes, negative effects of public-sector intervention in the shelter-delivery process can be summed up as problems of insufficient coverage, affordability by beneficiaries, lack of replicability and, to a lesser degree, social acceptability.
Relevant strategies must deal with these issues, which limit the effectiveness of actions in the form of planned projects. The policies, programmes and projects to improve existing housing conditions and stimulate the supply of shelter have been pursued, a wide range of institutions and professions and complications arise from the close links to developmental and welfare strategies and the multiplicity of the implementing institutions. This diversity and problem may account for the ambiguity of shelter policies in many countries. Public sector action is widely in the form of housing projects without a well – set programme framework.
1.3 THE RESEARCH PROBLEM.
Within the context of developing the housing strategy that encourages enabling concepts in the promotion of housing-production processes, the above review points to the need to find the answer to the question:
Given the widespread acceptance of the project approach to shelter delivery for the urban poor, how can housing projects, in developing countries like Nigeria, be made sustainable?
The sub questions are as follows:
(a) How can housing projects be more responsive to the diverse needs of low-income households?
(b) How can housing projects provide a basis for addressing structural constraints in land and housing markets?
(c) How can housing projects stimulate additional investment by the formal and informal private sectors and communities?
1.4 AIM AND OBJECTIVES.
Aim:
To study the low income housing process in Kano in comparison to the practice in other parts of the world, with a view to draw lessons from the indigenous system for adoption in contemporary housing projects, in developing countries.
Objectives.
i) Study poverty and its impact on housing.
ii) Appraise the methods, techniques and practices of low-income housing in different countries.
iii) Study and analyse the indigenous low-income housing process in Kano.
iv) Identify general lessons in the low-income housing process for application in Nigeria and other developed countries.
v) Recommend policies for improving the low-income housing process, using the general lessons and those from other indigenous processes.
1.5. JUSTIFICATION OF THE STUDY.
Several projections have shown that cities and towns will play significant roles in the future than they ever played in the past, especially if the several disabilities (ie the factors that worked against city’s functionality including housing) through history are sloughed off (Mumford, 1961, UNHCS 1996ab). The problem of providing adequate low-income housing has long been a concern, not only of individuals but of Governments as well. The provision of housing facilities for the rapidly increasing urban populations in most Third World Countries currently constitutes one of the greatest problems facing Governments and policy makers in these areas. In Nigeria, as in most third world Countries, the increasing tempo and level of urbanization have led to massive housing shortages as well as qualitative deficiencies, slums, squatter settlements and high housing rents in relation to income which are visible features of the urban scene throughout the country ( Ozo, A. O. 1990).
1.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY.
The planning, design, construction and management of housing, needs a multidisciplinary approach. This study is limited to the study of the conditions, location and characteristics of low-income housing in Kano, in a Town planner’s perspective.
1.7 METHODOLOGY.
The methodology of the dissertation was informed by its nature on low-income housing with particular reference to poverty alleviation. The following activities were undertaken:
Background literature review: A preliminary literature review was undertaken for two purposes:
· To assess the extent to which low income housing is discussed in literature pertaining to low income households; and
· To assess countries that lends themselves to informative case studies.
Identification of case studies: The results from the literature review were measured against two criteria:
· Geographical diversity;
· The identification of low income housing as a significant issue of concern by the low income households in a particular region; and
Using these criteria, several case studies were identified.
Secondary sources: Once the case studies were selected, extensive research was undertaken to locate relevant secondary sources. In a number of cases there was only limited information about low income housing conditions specifically, which then required the researcher to extrapolate from related materials on issues such as: land rights, self-determination, women’s rights and development and infrastructure projects.
Primary sources: A questionnaire was developed and distributed to various stakeholders. The shape and structure of the case studies were based on the responses received. As the case studies were being developed, the researchers contacted relevant experts, NGOs and indigenous peoples, for clarifications, comments and further resources, especially on those issues raised by the questionnaire.
Obstacles
This research was not without difficulties. While the scope of the project required a case-study approach, it was difficult to determine, in advance, whether the case studies would be representative of the wide-ranging low-income housing issues confronting low-income households. The researcher also had to grapple with the often ambiguous or complex legal landscape governing low-income households and housing. In many cases, though there might be specific legislation on low-income households’ rights, mainstream laws regarding non-discrimination, equality and housing also apply. Difficulties also arose in accessing primary or secondary sources regarding low-income women’s housing. Most NGOs that focus on low-income housing do not focus on low-income households’ housing. Few organizations focus specifically on housing and even less focus on women’s housing. Most frame their struggle in terms of broader issues such as self-determination, land rights, and economic empowerment. Low-income women’s organizations also tend to concentrate on broader issues, albeit from women’s perspectives. Gender-specific issues tend to focus on violence against women, though there is an increasing amount of information on women’s rights to use, own and inherit land and property.
Because of these obstacles, the researcher was often required to piece together information in order to develop a good picture of the status of low-income housing rights. For this reason, this dissertation is preliminary in nature. That being said, it does provide a good foundation and overview of low income housing in different regions of the world and certainly sets the stage for more in-depth research, analysis and action pertaining to low income households’ housing rights.
Data collection on housing in Nigeria is very difficult, because some sources are not reliable and most of the times obsolete. Despite these shortcomings this study collected, collated and analysed available data on low income housing in Kano, Nigeria, as follows:
1.8.2. Data requirements.
Data required for this study is on the low income housing process in Kano. The Data required for the study are as follows:
A) Background Data:
i) Economic Characteristics.
* Household and individual incomes (both net and gross) and an indication of their regularity.
* Household expenditure, especially on housing and related services.
ii) Household Characteristics.
* Household size (i.e. the number of people living together as a social unit).
* Household structure (i.e. their relationship).
* Membership of housing cooperative.
* Access to work.
* Access to public facilities such as shops, schools and hospitals.
* The number of people in the household including any absent.
* The age of the household head.
* The age and sex of all household members.
* The household type i.e. nucleated. Extended/single family.
iii) Physical settings:
* Climate.
* Location of Kano.
* Regional transport linkages.
B) Land use and Housing Facilities Data:
i) Land use.
*Existing land tenure.
* Housing structure from maps and aerial photographs.
ii) Housing layouts/densities.
* Plot development.
* The nature and extent of building necessary to meet at least short term household needs and the ability of households to provide this for them.