Documente Academic
Documente Profesional
Documente Cultură
By
Emma O. Omuojine
Principal Partner, Omuojine & Associates
0.0 ABSTRACT
Housing the poor has become an intractable problem in the polity especially in the
developing economies of Africa. The inability of government and the civil society in
general to provide adequate housing for the poor has led to the creation of shanty towns,
environmental degradation and spiraling poverty. There seems to be a correlation
between the lack of housing and poverty. Using Nigeria as case study, the paper
espouses the problems of housing the poor and explores the possibility of applying
investment in public housing as a job creation stimuli and poverty alleviation.
1.0 INTRODUCTION
housing, this presumption may not hold sway for poverty. Poverty can be defined
or viewed from various perspectives, to wit, *income levels and wages, social
However, experience has shown that there is a direct correlation between housing
and poverty. The quality of housing and the standard of living or poverty are
*
covertly or directly proportionate. This paper using Nigeria as a case study,
illustrate this correlation and demonstrate the role housing can effectively play in
My case study is a paradox. The country is rich in natural and human resources
but the people are poor. A past American Assistant Secretary of State for African
Affairs, Susan Rice amplified this paradox in 2002 on a satellite programme when
she said that “Nigeria is too rich to be poor and too poor to be rich” How true!
Earnings from crude oil alone arguably the mainstay of the Nigerian economy,
was about 250 billion dollars between 1970 and 1999. The real per capita income
in 1994 was N1,250.00, a 50% fall from its 1980 figure of N2,900.00. In 1998 it
fell further to N1,000.00. Currently, the nation’s per capita income stands at about
N2,000.00. While the actual lowest income/wage in the public sector was
N1,373.00 in 1993, the wage in real terms at the 1986 prices was N182.00. By
1997, the value of the actual wage of N2,856.00 had declined in real terms to
N63.00. The slow and often times negative growth of the national economy
brought about by declining fortunes in crude oil prices, global inflation and the
2000) The minimum wage in the public sector today is in the neighbourhood of
N7,500.00 per month while the national minimum wage is about N5,000.00 per
mensem. Applying the international poverty standard of one US dollar per person
per dien, it means that at the prevailing exchange rate any person with a take
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home monthly wage below N4,000.00 is living below the poverty line. The
Federal Office of Statistics in its 1998 survey report, estimates 17% of our urban
population as extreme poor and another 25% as moderate poor, that is, about 42%
of our urban population are living below the poverty line. It is further estimated
that about 90% of our rural population are today living below the poverty line
(Omuojine 2000). The United Nations estimates that 70% of our national
population are poor. Going by our national population figure of 140 million and
the above analysis, about 8 million of our urban population do not have access to
any form of housing, while about 11 million are at best accommodated in shanties
and make shift accommodation. Also applying the modest household size of 6
persons per room, the author is of the view that Nigeria would require about 3
million accommodation units to cater for the poor in our urban towns and cities.
An expert report posted by the Daily Independent newspaper states that Nigeria
would need to put in place about 12 to 17 million housing units in order to meet
the masses mind boggling housing deficit in the country. The author feels that
these figures are a little exaggerated but they are pointers to the colossal nature of
Housing does not pose much quantitative problems in the rural areas, the
problems are mainly in the quality of housing. It is however estimated that about
6 million housing units will be required in the villages and rural areas by way of
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3.0 HOUSING THE POOR
It has been established historically that prior to the colonial era, Nigeria did not
have the problem of housing either for the poor or the rich. The economy was
trading posts. Housing was readily available and in the event of extreme need,
without fear of contradiction that there was no dichotomy between rich and poor;
haves and have not. The author reckons that what existed was strong and lazy,
bold and cowardly; however, everybody was provided for according to his need
and means. Colonisation and the emergent monetary economy brought about the
The worst influence of this development was that it killed most of our cherished
social values and our communal life style which ensured that no member of the
community was found wanting in any of the basic social needs including housing.
build upon, borrowing to build and all the attendant problems associated with
owning a home. Under these circumstances, the poor is hardly able to compete
favourably as his resources are limited and hardly enough to sustain a living.
There is a plethora of literature espousing the fact that the colonial masters did not
make any provision for housing the poor and that subsequent governments since
independence towed similar line in not considering the poor in their housing
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agenda. The result is that the poor have been compelled to live in less than human
A number of reasons have been proffered for the inability of the poor to
The major reasons mitigating against housing the poor being their low income
capacity, access to credit, land tenure system, high cost of building and the low
No matter the annual wage of the poor, it is an incontrovertible fact that his
earning capacity is abysmally low that he can least provide for his basic life needs
and those of his family, let alone make any savings. It follows, therefore, that
where the poor manages to feed and cloth himself and members of his immediate
family, he may never be able to pay his rent or own a house of his own. It is
therefore unimaginable that the private sector will consider this category of
4.2 Rents
Rents for residential accommodation in our cities and urban centres are generally
high for obvious reasons. The oil boom, rural-urban migration, high housing
demand relative to supply, spiraling inflation and high cost of buildings contribute
in no small measure to the high rents regime. In recent times, the deregulation of
the economy, high cost of funds, high foreign exchange rate, the cascading fall in
the value of the local currency and the general depressed state of the national
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economy have all conspired to make rents on residential accommodation to hit the
Building materials and components are import dependent and that makes them
very expensive in the face of the value of the naira and global inflation. With the
low earning capacity of the poor, the building materials are rendered out of their
reach. The author is aware that some traditional alternative building materials
especially burnt or/and vibrated bricks and roof/ceiling tiles are locally produced
in the country, but their use has not been popularised while their production costs
are not competitive because of the problem associated with technology and
economies of scale.
Ironically, the national land policy, the Land Use Act whose intendment is to
make land easily available and accessible to all, constitutes a major clog in the
wheel of housing the poor. The Land Use Act enunciated to streamline the land
tenure systems in the country vests the ownership and radical title to all land in
the Federation on the Governors of the respective states for purposes of easy
unquestionably out of the reach of the poor. To the poor, the government is a
distant phenomenon, very much out of his reach; his inability to procure land,
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therefore, means that he cannot be seen to make any effort to build or construct a
rate has been on the increase. The urban unemployment rate of 3.8% in 1993
which rose dramatically to 6.0% in 1997 is presently estimated at 10%. The rural
unemployment rate stood at 2.6% in 1997. It is being estimated that the current
embarked upon by the private and public sector in their restructuring exercises.
This is all the more worrisome if it is appreciated that the unemployed are mostly
within the virile age group which constitute about 40% of the national population.
The poor are all the worst for it because of their low technical/professional skills
TABLE 1
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4.6 Collapse of Communal Life Style
The communal life style, which was indigenous to the Nigerian nation states, was
a veritable tool for catering for the needs of the poor and the underprivileged in
society. Under the system everybody was his brother’s keeper and everybody was
provided for according to his means or according to his needs. Nobody was left in
the cold as housing was regarded as a basic necessity of life. But the advent of
monetary economy and harsh economic conditions have changed all that with
every man to himself and the poor have been the worst for it.
Nigeria did not have a National Housing Policy until 1991 when a National
Housing Policy document was put in place. The policy document sets out the
strategies for mobilising private sector participation and ways and means of
addressing housing for the low income persons. Unfortunately, the document did
not make any provisions for, nor did it address the matter of , housing the poor.
This is in the face of the United Nations 1999 Report which places Nigeria as the
25th poorest nation in the world and lists 70% of her population as poor.
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Nigeria ranks abysmally low on the HDI scale. The HDI provides a complete
and healthy life measured by life expectancy, being educated measured by adult
literacy and enrolment at the primary, secondary and tertiary level, and having a
decent standard of living measured by purchasing power parity, PPP, and income.
The HDI provides a broadened prism for viewing human progress and the
From the UNDP Human Development Report 2006 the HDI for Nigeria is 0.448 a
ranking of 159th out of 177 countries. This is against Swaziland 0.55 and Norway
0.965.
past and their solutions in combating the problems bring certain issues clearly to
the fore, to wit, that the problems of adequate housing is universal and that
mankind.
Housing programmes in the United States and European nations (Britain, West
Germany now Germany, etc) share many similarities. These countries have at
one time or the other initiated public housing, urban renewal and new town
solving emergency housing problems and the problems of housing the low-
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Massive public-housing programmes were started after each of the world wars.
For example, by the 1970’s about one-third of Britain’s housing was publicly
subsidised.
Also there was extensive provision and regulation of housing in the form of
subsidies for slum demolition and rental housing assistance e.g Germany provided
Suffice to mention at this point that housing in the former Union of Soviet
housing units in urban areas in the form of pre-cast concrete slabs manufactured
in factories and transported to housing sites where they were assembled into large
self-help housing. Families were given plots of land and building materials to
International Organisations like the World Bank (IBRD), the United Nations
Housing being a critical component in the social and economic fabric of all
nations, no country is yet satisfied that adequate housing has been delivered to the
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various economic groups that make up its populace, hence most nations continue
From the beginning of the 1990s, most western countries were facing a critical
shortage of affordable housing for low and middle-income wage earners as well
as for the poor and the rising numbers of homeless people in the cities. Higher
home prices plus a reduction in low-income housing led to a greater demand for
rented accommodation, which resulted in higher rents and fewer available rental
units. Also different types of housing are required additionally, to meet the needs
of people with disabilities, as well as of the elderly people and those living alone.
with the result that many of the citizens find themselves forced to live in shanties
and shanty towns, settlements, in which the houses have very little or no
are largely built by residents themselves, made from improvised materials that
come on hand and constructed often on land where no building rights exist or on
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In the hierarchy of challenges confronting Africa, poverty eradication is one of
the most important (Lufumpa 1999). Poverty is not the same as inequality
although it is closely related to it. To be poor is not just to have less than others, it
(Novak 1988). Governments believe that the housing of ordinary families could
safely be left to the forces of unfettered demand and supply. The sorry results of
that the long term goal of sustainable development is achieved which inter-alia
includes the development of legal and land tenure systems as well as the adoption
The best way to empower the poor is to let them benefit from their factors of
production, land and labour. However, poor people will in all probability have
access to capital; and housing constitutes a major tool that government can use to
For a start, the existing land policy will have to be revisited. It is now obvious that
the Land Use Act calls for a serious amendment or abrogation in line with the
into law. Suffice to say that the cost of land and land documentation has made
land very expensive and out of the reach of the poor under the current government
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monopoly and over centralisation of land transactions. A deregulation of land or a
more sanguine arrangement would ensure the availability of land to every citizen
Also, the National Housing Policy document will have to be revisited to give due
consideration to housing the poor. The first step being for government to legislate
on public housing for the poor as the exclusive preserve of the local governments.
Being a grass root government, local governments are in the best position to
identify the rightful beneficiaries. This will to a great extent avert the situation
where government builds for those who could afford to build for themselves
rather than build for those who may never be able to afford any form of housing.
A pool of funds should be provided to the local government for the provision of
public housing through direct construction; the houses will thereafter be rented
out or let out to the poor at subsidised rents or through rent vouchers. It is
imperative that traditional alternative building materials like bricks, floor tiles and
clay roof members be used and the construction undertaken by direct labour with
essential participatory component from the people themselves. Local artisans like
labourers will be called on to the construction sites. The advantages of using the
traditional alternative materials which are home grown is that “they have the
sustainable way”. In addition, they are also capable of alleviating poverty through
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intensive constituting between 30 and 40 percent of cost of construction. Where
employment and multiplier effect in the economy can best be imagined. Housing
All the building components have labour inputs while it is not possible for a
single or few individuals to earn all the income on the labour component of the
actual construction.
TABLE 2
LABOUR GENERATION ON CONSTRUCTION OF ONE BUNGALOW OVER AVERAGE OF
THREE MONTH PERIOD
Artisans Labour/Person
Mason/Bricklayer 1
Carpenter 2
Plumber plus Assistant 2
Ironmonger plus Assistant 2
Electrician 1
Painter 1
Casual Worker 5
Supervisor 1
TOTAL 15
Omuojine (2000)
TABLE 3
LABOUR GENERATION IN BRICK PRODUCTION
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Source: Tipple (1993) A.P. Opoko (2000)
As a tool for job creation and poverty alleviation, the construction of simple and
create jobs and income for about 15 skilled and unskilled workers over a three
building materials under the small scale intermediate technology has the attribute
TABLE 4
1 15 5,000 0.6
1,000 15,000 5,000,000 600
10,000 150,000 50,000,000 6,000
20,000 300,000 100,000,000 12,000
50,000 750,000 250,000,000 30,000
100,000 1,500,000 500,000,000 60,000
Omuojine (2000)
housing units in functional housing through direct intervention and the peoples
participation would create about 390,000 jobs for semi-skilled and unskilled
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The direct intervention of government in the construction of public housing, with
Also the provision of sites and services schemes in urban towns by government
for all categories of income groups with the provision of serviced stands on an
aided self-help basis will go a long way in providing on the site jobs and
Another aspect of housing for the poor which lends itself to poverty alleviation is
urban renewal and slum clearance schemes. The residential neighbourhoods of the
poor, the squatter settlements, shanties and ghettos lend themselves more easily to
urban renewal and resettlement schemes. The fundamental mistake often made by
government is that they rarely put the people into confidence in the
affecting them. To be effective, urban renewal should not be taken and embarked
upon in one fell swoop; it is better to phase the redevelopment in order not to
radically distort the social and economic lives of the poor inhabitants. The Lagos
which may undergo total reconstruction or upgrading. Where this is done, urban
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renewal and housing will become a veritable employment stimulus and an
It is important to note that aside from the issue of land and housing policy of
concerted effort must be made through cooperation between the public and
private sectors on the economy including the non-governmental agencies and the
empowering the poor so that they are able to take the full advantage of the
and skill development become a sine qua non, they basically constitute the
inevitable tool with which the poor can take due advantage of basic technology
effective way. It will be easy for local authorities and other agencies to provide
opportunities that will be made available in the housing delivery system. And
available to the members at rock bottom or subsidised rentals and relatively low
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cost. Above all, it will ensure an equitable distribution of housing to those who
housing estates for housing their workers in the junior or working class cadre and
including basic infrastructure, tax concessions and tax exemptions. The private
developers scheme currently being enabled by both the Federal and some State
Governments only provide for the few rich and the super rich and does not in any
7.0 RESEARCH
Before concluding this paper, it is necessary to mention the issue of research and
its importance in housing development and delivery. The Nigerian Building Road
and Research Institute, Ota in Ogun State and a few institutions of higher learning
in the country have made quite an inroad into the use of local raw materials in the
Our research stethoscope must now be on wood and timber. Timber is one raw
material that abound in this country but strangely enough, its use has not been
fully explored. Timber can build and sustain a house from floor to roof. A timber
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house raised on columns or props will consist of timber walls, timber window
frames and shutters, timber doors, timber ceiling boards on timber trusses.
infestation and fire retardant stock (Omuojine 1986). The use of timber on this
grand scale in housing will make housing not only more available to the poor, but
will create additional jobs in the wood industry, a familiar terrain to our teaming
rural populace.
8.0 CONCLUSION
except within the confines of the scope one has set for himself. From the expose
of this paper, you can draw your conclusions but one fact is evident, the state of a
nation’s property stock and housing is a reflection of the state of its economy and
the welfare of its people. “See Paris and Die” as the old saying goes is epitomised
in the Eiffel Tower and the breath taking buildings and structures in Paris. In an
ailing economy, it is housing that suffers the most neglect as it is the least
housing is the best tool for turning such an economy around for the better.
The development of public housing produces and creates instant capital and
services but as investment capable of creating and adding value, national wealth,
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employment and contributing in giant measures towards poverty alleviation of our
9.0 REFERENCES
Nigeria, Poverty In the Midst of Plenty, The Challenge of Growth: A World Bank
Novak, Tony, Poverty and the State – An Historical Sociology: Open University Press,
Philadelphia 1988.
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Omuojine, E. O. Housing The Poor in the New Millenium: Which Way Forward? :
Invited Guest Paper presented at the National Symposium/Workshop on Development
and Use of Alternative Building Materials in Nigeria, organised by Nigerian Building and
Road Research Institute at NBRRI National Laboratory and Production Complex, Ota,
Ogun State 9th – 11th August, 2000.
Pollard, Sydney, The Development of the British Economy 1914 – 1980 Arnold, 1988
Opoko, A. P. (Arc/Mrs) Problems Militating Against the Use of Alternative Building
Materials and Construction Technologies in Nigeria: Paper presented at the National
Symposium on Development and Use of Alternative Building Materials in Nigeria
NBRRI, Ota, Ogun State 9th – 11th August, 2000.
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