CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1. Background to the Study

The interaction of different internal and external factors plays a role in the measurement of housing quality in peri-urban settlements (Allen, 2010; Chirisa, 2010). The geographical and ethnographic composition of the residents plays an important role in shaping housing quality in peri-urban settlements (Rapoport, 1998). Other factors such as neighbourhood quality, locational quality and regional response to patterns of development show that housing quality as a function is not limited to physical components of construction, but rather entails human satisfaction with urban attributes and facilities, environmental quality and locational advantages (El Din, Shalaby, Farouh & Elariane, 2013; Rapoport, 1998).

Dwelling quality is internally controlled by the socio-economic and socio-cultural characteristics of the residents in peri-urban settlements; these determine the level of quality of housing they can access through their choice of building construction materials and methods of construction (Fiadzo, Houston & Godwin, 2001). In the majority of peri-urban settlements, there exists social differentiation and service inequality among the indigenous residents and the immigrants (Simon, 2008; Ibem & Aduwo, 2015).

The saturation of the built-up area in metropolitan Lagos has gradually led to the conversion of agricultural land in the peri-urban settlements in Lagos for residential purposes toaccommodate the multicultural and heterogeneous urban population (Nwokoro & Dekolo, 2012). The influx of low-income urban immigrants into Lagos peri-urban settlements is significantly impacting on housing quality. Lower income groups inhabit poor residential areas in peri-urban settlements associated with poor physical conditions, illegal development, limited or no access to water, and poor sanitation (Daramola & Ibem, 2010; Lawanson, Yadua & Salako, 2012). The assessment of housing quality in Lagos peri-urban settlements is significant to determine to what extent neighbourhood quality, location quality and the use of building materials contribute to the level of housing quality in these settlements. The findings might assist the state government to support the use of alternative building materials in the development of better quality housing for residents in these peri-urban areas.

Housing quality studies can be justified because it is an indispensable, social and physical infrastructure whose quality and quantity, serves as an instrument for measuring the standard of living, the level of technological advancement, culture and civilization (Mbina, 2007). The problem of deficiency in housing quality in Nigeria is common both in urban and rural areas. The situation is very severe in urban areas due to the fact that most people live in houses that are poor in terms of quality with unsatisfactory environments. The population growth resulting from rural–urban migration and rapid urbanization is the cause which leads to homelessness, the growth of slums and overcrowding (Mabogunje, 1975; Olotuah and Adesiji, 2005; Lawanson, 2006; Adeleye and Anofojie, 2011).

1. Statement of the Problem

Quite a lot of studies have been conducted in Nigeria on housing condition and quality with only few undertaken at the national scale. Comprehensive surveys both at local and national scales have also not been attempted as what exist are purely sample surveys which, of course, are subject to sampling errors. Furthermore, the majority of these studies are centred on urban area where interests in identifying slum areas within the cities have taken the centre stage. Some of the recent studies include correlates of housing problems in slum areas (Ekop, 2012; Ogunleye, 2013; Uwadiegwu, 2013), spatial structure of housing quality (Aderamo and Ayobolu, 2010) and perception of housing quality (Adeleye et al., 2014).

The work of Abumere (1987) is an example of studies carried out at the national scale. He studied 40 cities cutting across various Nigerian city typologies – traditional, non-traditional and modern cities, cities serving as state capitals, industrial and non-industrial cities, metropolitan, large, medium and small cities reflecting ecological conditions. He noted that as a result of low building technology and absence of durable building materials, no more than nine percent of the houses surveyed were built of mud and bricks which had very short life spans. He further observed that the only cities with a reasonable percentage of buildings older than 80 years were the coastal towns located on sea and river ports and few other hinterland cities that formed contact points for colonial trade and administration. These cities include Sapele, Oshogbo, Kano, Owerri, Forcados, Bururtu, Calabar, Warri, Benin, Lagos, Ibadan, Onitsha and Asaba.

In the light of the above, this study therefore intends to find out the relationship that exists between housing population and control patterns in Ijebu Ode. It will examine the causes of hosing population, effects and the way forward.

1. Aims and Objectives

The aim of this study is to find out the housing density and epidemiological patterns in Ijebu Ode.

The objectives of the study are as follows:

1. to find out the relationship between housing density and epidemiological patterns in Ijebu Ode
2. to examine the causes of housing density and epidemiological patterns in Ijebu Ode
3. to assess the effects of housing density and epidemiological patterns in Ijebu Ode.
4. to provide ways in which population density can be manage and control effectively in Ijebu Ode.

1. Research Question

The research questions to be address in this study are:

1. What is the relationship between housing density and epidemiological patterns in Ijebu Ode?
2. What are the causes of housing density and epidemiological patterns in Ijebu Ode?
3. What are the effects of housing density and epidemiological patterns in Ijebu Ode?
4. What are the possible measures to control and manage population density in Ijebu Ode?

1. Statement of Hypotheses

H0 there is no significant relationship between housing density and epidemiological patterns.

1. Significance of the Study

This study is of great significant as it comes at a time where Ijebu Ode is battling the menace of housing density and epidemiology. Consequently, it will give out measures to effectively manage and control the menace of population density. This study will give out those causal factors and effects of population density and epidemiological patterns in Ijebu Ode. Ultimately, it will draw the attention of the governmental and non-governmental agency to the need of responding to the salvage menace of housing density and epidemiological patterns in Ijebu Ode.

1.7 Scope of the Study

This study is focus on Housing density and epidemiological patterns in Ijebu Ode. It gives attention to the relationship that exist between housing density and epidemiological patterns, causes and effects of housing density and epidemiological patterns and the way forward.

1. Limitation of the Study

1. Definition of Terms

Housing, or more generall, living spaces, refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings collectively, for the purpose of sheltering people — the planning or provision delivered by an authority, with related meanings. The social issue is of ensuring that members of society have a home in which to live, whether this is a house, or some other kind of dwelling, lodging, or shelter.[2] Many governments have one or more housing authorities, sometimes also called a housing ministry, or housing department.

Density is the extent to which something is filled or covered with people or things.

.a law which restricts the density of housing. The region has a very high population density....areas with high densities of immigrant populations.

Density is a measure of the compactness of a substance, expressed as its mass per unit volume. It is measured in kilograms per cubic meter or pounds per cubic foot Symbol.

Epidemiology is the method used to find the causes of health outcomes and diseases in populations. In epidemiology, the patient is the community and individuals are viewed collectively. By definition, epidemiology is the study (scientific, systematic, and data-driven) of the distribution (frequency, pattern) and determinants (causes, risk factors) of health-related states and events (not just diseases) in specified populations (neighborhood, school, city, state, and country, global). It is also the application of this study to the control of health problems

The term ‘urbanisation’ is used here to refer specifically to an increase in the proportion of a country or region’s population residing in urban settlements, while ‘urban growth’ refers to an increase in the absolute size of a country or region’s urban population. These terms are often confused in both academic and policy circles, but it is important to recognise the difference between them, particularly in the context of sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) where urban population growth rates are generally high but overall urbanisation rates relatively low.

‘Urban structure’ is the arrangement of land use in urban areas. As noted above, it is closely related to urban expansion, as the physical configuration of a settlement influences its population density, with the amount of land required varying for different activities. The phrase ‘urban system’ is used here to characterise the distribution of urban populations across settlements within a national territory. A country is considered to have a highly ‘concentrated’ or ‘primate’ urban system when a large, single city dominates the distribution (i.e., it is significantly 5 more than twice the size of the second largest city in the territory). Classic examples of concentrated or primate urban systems include the United Kingdom and France,1 while countries such as Germany and the United States exhibit more evenly distributed settlement patterns.