AN ASSESSMENT OF THE RESIDENTIAL HOUSING CONDITIONS IN BENIN CITY A CASE STUDY OF OVIA NORTH EAST AND OVIA SOUTH WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA

ABSTRACT
This paper examines the importance of housing to man as an essential need and a prerequisite for the survival of man after food. It equally recognizes profound influence it has on the health, behavior and efficiency of man and the nation as a whole. The study was carried out with the aid of questionnaire administration, building and facility survey Using random sampling technique, every 5th houses in the two district areas was picked for assessment of which questionnaires were administered to those houses. Also, data were collected from related government ministries and departments to particular find out government’s intervention in this area. Findings from the study reveal that the area chosen for the study exhibit slum condition that has undenied impact on the residential housing conditions and the socio-economic lifestyles and the health of the residents which has caused bad residential housing, as well as the uninteresting general outlook of the environment. Recommendations were proffered to guide the policy makers towards enhancing the lives of the residents of the area. Some of which include upgrading program through the provision of urban basic services and improved sanitation strategies for sustainable management of the area, Public enlighten campaign is also recommended so that the residents will know the importance of good living condition to their health and as well to know the danger of abusing their environment.

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Socio-economic characteristics of respondents…………………..22
Table 2: Building characteristics……………………………………………..…24
Table 3: distribution of sanitary services………………………..……26
Table 4: distribution of general facilities………………..…………28
Table 5: Environmental related problems and likely causative factors…….29

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: map of Edo State showing the location of study area……….18
Figure 2: map showing the position of Edo State……………..…….…20
Figure 3: Edo State map showing the location of the study area (Ovia North East Local Government Area) …………………………………………21

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY
Housing is often regarded as one of the basic human needs. It ranks second after food and thereafter clothing. It is a pre-requisite for the survival of man (Onibokun,1985). Housing as a unit of the environment has profound influence on the health, efficiency, social behavior, satisfaction and general welfare of the community. It reflects the cultural, social and economic values of a society, as it is the best physical and historical evidence of the civilization of a country. Adedeji (2004) argued that housing issues affect the life of individuals as well as that of a nation; hence both nature and society ascribed great importance to the role it plays to bring about human comfort. Housing all over the world has remained an interdependent phenomenon that affects every facets of mankind and it represents one of the most basic human needs which no doubt has a profound impact on the health, welfare and productivity of every individual irrespective of socio-economic status, colour or creed. In spite of the importance of housing to mankind, there is however, a universal shortage of needed dwelling units especially in developing countries including Nigeria where population growth and urbanization are rapidly on the increase and where the gap between the housing supply and housing demand is so wide. Housing shortage in Nigeria is reported to be estimated at about 14 to 16 million housing units with an esteemed whooping sum of N4.7 trillion required to meet the deficit. The importance of providing adequate and quality housing in any country cannot be overstated nor disputed in time or space. It is a stimulant to the national economy. However, the re-current nature of housing needs and the unending desire for good housing tend to confirm the widely impression that there is hardly any society that has been able to cope satisfactorily with its housing requirement (Modupe, 1986). The proliferation of shanty dwellings, squatter settlements and slums in most of our cities in the Nigeria and other less developed nations of the world is attributed to a chain of factors. Of course, such factors are closely associated with the low level of socio-economic and cultural lifestyles of the inhabitants and the effects of residential housing in our environment. This paper, therefore, intends to investigate the characteristics of housing condition, the positive and negative effects of residential housing, and the socio-economic lifestyle of residential neighborhood in Ovia North East and Ovia South West Local Government Area, Benin City, Edo state (Nigeria) with a view to determining the factors that are actually responsible for the formation of good and bad residential housing conditions in urban and rural settings.