AN APPRAISAL OF FACTORS AFFECTING ACCESS TO RESIDENTIAL LAND IN LOKOJA METROPOLIS, KOGI STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Accessibility to residential land helps a nation like Nigeria to improve housing conditions and achieve meaningful level of economic development. Thus this thesis appraised factors affecting access to residential land in Lokoja Metropolis, Kogi state, Nigeria with a view to reducing impediments that inhibit land ownership. The target population for this research work is 39,329 households in Lokoja metropolis and the Director, Ministry of Lands Lokoja. The sample size for households in Lokoja metropolis is 396. A close ended structured questionnaire were administered to get data from households in Lokoja metropolis and an interview guide was prepared to get information from the Director, Ministry of Lands Lokoja. Frequency tables and percentages were used to analyze the forms of access to residential land, the number of applications received and approved for government residential land from year 2005 to 2014, and the number of households having title to land while weighted mean score were employed to analyze the factors affecting access to residential land, and the challenges militating against access to residential land. Binary logistic regressions were used to analyze the effect of the factors affecting access to residential land ownership. Findings revealed that the predominant mode of access to residential land is through private purchase; road accessibility is the main factor affecting access to residential land; government land allocation is cumbersome and based on favouritism;, inadequate fund is the key challenge militating against access to residential land, and the strongest predictor of the effect of the factors affecting access to residential land ownership is occupation of the residents with an odd ratio of 1.449. The study concluded that accessibility to residential land in Lokoja metropolis is lengthy, complex and expensive which has resulted in residents developing houses near rivers, on hills and water ways. It is recommended among others that government should reduce the level of bureaucracy associated with land acquisition and the perfection of title document to land.