ASSESSMENT OF PUBLIC HOUSING DELIVERY BY THE ONDO STATE DEVELOPMENT AND PROPERTY CORPORATION IN AKURE METROPOLIS, NIGERIA.

Abstract

Housing as a very critical basic need of man, can be referred to as a universal demand; Universal in the sense that it is required by all for survival. “Early man satisfied his need for shelter with caves but with civilization man has been able to formulate tools to provide himself with better abode”. Housing therefore is a unit of the environment which has a profound influence on the health, efficiency, social behaviour, satisfaction and general welfare of the community. It reflects the cultural, social aesthetic and economic value of a society as it is the best physical and historical evidence of civilization in a country. Housing need which is both qualitative and quantitative has been a major concern of every government in the world which is why its provision has been a reoccurring issue in any given country’s budget over the years. The issues of housing delivery in the world have assumed various dimensions and commitments by the day as government at various levels, individuals and groups are affected. Nigeria as a country and Ondo State are no exceptions. It is against this backdrop that this paper sought to assess the efforts of the Ondo State Development and Property Corporation in providing affordable housing for the inhabitants of the Akure metropolis. This research identified the various housing estates managed by the Ondo State Development and Property Corporation with focus on selected estates within Akure being the State Capital, the extent of the selected housing estates in terms of plot and block coverage, the problems facing the Corporation and the level of satisfaction derived by the inhabitants of the housing estates. The research has these Objectives; to assess the staff structure and strength, to identify the estates in terms of plots and blocks coverage, to assess the housing delivery strategies adopted, to examine the problems of housing delivery in terms of fund and land availability and to examine the level of satisfaction derived by the inhabitants. To achieve the set objectives, questionnaires were designed and administered and responses were analyzed using statistical tools. Also hypotheses were tested. To this end, this paper has found some salient issues in housing which ranges from inadequate funding, poor management, discontinuity in Government policies, non availability of land lack of qualified hands amongst others. Adequate recommendations of creation of new housing policy, introduction of Public-Private-Participation, standardization of local building materials, restructuring of planning schemes and others were put forward so as to have adequate housing for the teeming population of Akure metropolis.