EFFECTS OF URBAN RESIDENTIAL HOUSING DEMAND ON LAND AND LIVELIHOOD ACTIVITIES IN THE RURAL AREAS OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA BY LAZARUS ZAKA
EFFECTS OF URBAN RESIDENTIAL HOUSING DEMAND ON LAND AND LIVELIHOOD ACTIVITIES IN THE RURAL AREAS OF THE FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA BY LAZARUS ZAKA
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Date
2008-05
Authors
GAZA, LAZARUS ZAKA
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Abstract
Studies of rural-urban relationships in Nigeria have largely been concerned with the flow of
resources between the two sectors, without considering the effects of the flow process on rural
land and livelihoods of the people. Specifically, no study, at least known to this writer has
addressed the effects of the invasion of rural areas by urban workers in search of affordable
housing. Thus, the research problem of this study is to determine the effects of urban residential
housing demand in the Federal Capital City on rural land and livelihood activities of the rural
people in the FCT. The creation of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in 1976 and the sudden
relocation of the seat of the Federal Government of Nigeria from Lagos to Abuja in December,
1991 led to what can be termed a “mad rush” to develop the city, instead of the phased, gradual
development provided for in the master plan. The rush to develop Abuja triggered a number of
extraneous factors that collectively led to a very rapid growth of the population of the city which
could not be adequately housed. This study shows that the inadequacy of residential housing in
the Federal Capital City derives from a “gradual-population-growth” assumption made for the
city which later events made unrealistic. This, in turn, made the amount of land allocated for
residential housing in the master-plan to be inadequate. The study also shows that the assumption
that residential housing in the Federal Capital City would be largely supplied by the private
sector, turned out to be wrong as the Federal Government became the biggest provider of
residential houses which are mostly for civil servant excluding the low and medium income
people. The unfolding scenario from the inadequacy of land and housing to meet the demand of
low income people underpins the following findings of this study: massive residential mobility
towards rural areas of FCT as an adaptive strategy by medium and low income group; rise in
rural land value and conversion of rural lands to housing for urban workers; shortage of farmland
and declining agricultural output; on-going housing demolition as a cause of escalating
conversion of rural land to non-rural uses; occupational diversification and pre-mature
tertiarisation; commercialization of the rural economy and change in life style among others. A
major policy recommendation emanating from these findings is the need to subject the Abuja
Master Plan to a thorough re-examination of its philosophy and objectives in the light of the
prevailing socio-economic realities of our time and the foreseeable future with a view to making
Abuja an inclusive city for all inhabitants.
Description
A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE POSTGRADUATE SCHOOL BELLO IN
PATIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD
OF THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN GEOGRAPHY
DEPARTMENT OF GEOGRAPHY
FACULTY OF SCIENCE
AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY
ZARIA
NIGERIA.
MAY 2008
Keywords
EFFECTS, URBAN, RESIDENTIAL, HOUSING, DEMAND, LAND, LIVELIHOOD, ACTIVITIES, RURAL AREAS, FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA