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Access to shelter by the poor through community participation

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Remi Adeyemo

Access to Shelter by the Poor Through Community Participation

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Introduction

1Providing adequate shelter in Nigeria has been a fundamental problem for federal and state governments for more than a decade. Although progress has been made in providing housing in some local government areas, in many others housing shortages are likely to become more serious over the next few years as urbanization accelerates and the concentration of poor households in cities increases. The rapid pace of urbanization in Nigeria is generating greater demand for shelter, especially among poor families who lack the income for decent housing.

2Although national shelter strategies must be concerned with total housing supply, upper income groups can usually obtain housing with little difficulty. The most disadvantaged are the low and lower-middle income families who constitute the vast majority of urban dwellers in Nigeria. Most of the urban poor live in slums and squatter communities that not only lack adequate shelter, but also potable water, sanitation facilities and basic health services. Thus, government’s role in creating conditions that enable poor families to obtain decent housing should be the primary focus of a national shelter strategy. Such strategies in other countries have included a cooperative or community based approach.

3This paper, the cooperative system, as a social institution, is not new to Nigeria. The principles of the cooperative movement are well entrenched in the traditions of many ethnic groups in the country. For example, the Yoruba people of Southern Nigeria, have well established cooperative systems which have been applied to farming (aro), savings and loans clubs (esusu) and housing (ebese or aro).

4While the principles of the cooperative movement have been applied to the modern sectors of agriculture and finance of the economy, the application of the cooperative system to the provision of housing is, however, a new concept.

5Apart from the fact that the principle of cooperatives is inherent in the culture of Nigerians, a number of researchers have presented various reasons why cooperative housing should be developed in the country. Wahab (1990), in defining the concept of cooperatives articulated some of the intuitive and economic reasons; Adeyemo (1989, 1992), Falade (1990), Abiodun (1985), Onibokun (1983) gave suggestions for tackling the problems associated with rising urbanization and housing shortages and the inability of the government to provide housing for the mass of low income earners.

6Perhaps one of the most powerful arguments for embarking on cooperative housing in Nigeria is that low income earners are themselves, demanding this approach to solve their housing problems. Tire study by Adeyemo (1989) showed that there is a wide range of cooperatives established for the purpose of helping their members to secure reasonably priced and socially acceptable housing.

7Experience in many other developing countries indicates that self-help approaches have a number of advantages. Among these are the following:

  • They make shelter available for those low-income families who have no other means of securing decent housing.

  • They reduce the cash outlay of poor households for housing construction.

  • They promote greater pride and satisfaction in home ownership because of the direct participation of poor families in house construction.

  • They encourage personal interest in home maintenance and expansion after construction is completed.

  • They may develop building skills among low-income people.

Past government roles

8In a previous analysis on the achievements of the Federal Government in the housing sector, the following conclusion was drawn.

The government has described its housing programme as large-scale, but large as it may seem, it is nevertheless inadequate for two main reasons: first, the proposed housing target of 200,000 units by 1980 is only 22 per cent of the projected shortage of 867,316 units at the end of the third plan period; second, there is need to improve and upgrade the conditions of the existing stock which lack basic amenities and for which no provision has been made by the planners
Third National Development Plan, 1975-1980: 21.

9The above analysis was based, at the time, on the intentions of the Federal Government as articulated in the Third National Development Plan (1975-1980) and other policy statements made thereafter. These include the Omolayole rent panel report, the 1976 budget statement with respect to attracting entrepreneurs to invest in housing and the Anti-inflation Task Force report, to name a few. Even if the intentions, faulty as they were, could be accepted as an attempt in moderate development, the achievement has been appallingly embarrassing, as the following statement from the Fourth National Plan (1981-1985: 200) shows:

Physical achievement in terms of housing units completed by the Federal Housing Authority was about 19 per cent, i.e., 8500 in Lagos metropolis and 13 per cent or 20,000 for the rest of the country. In terms of financial disbursement, a total of N430 million had been spent. The actual completion of 28,500 housing units represents about 14 per cent of the target set (202,000) or about 3.3 per cent of the actual shortage of 867,316. This means in effect that the shortage of housing stock has further widened during the plan period. Such a poor performance cannot really be justified in view of the large sums expended for housing during the same period.

10It is against the above background that past programmes can be evaluated. In terms of proposals, there was the usual faith placed in the roles that the Federal Mortgage Bank, the Federal Housing Authority and the state housing corporations could play in the provision of shelter and related facilities. The Federal Government failed to set correct and effective policy guidelines, as well as adequate implementation procedures, to achieve the set objectives. For example, 440,000 housing units were to be built annually and only 115,000 or about 26 per cent, were to be within the low and medium-income price range. Whereas the truth is that the low-income groups account for about 72 per cent of the total working population and these groups are being offered only 26 per cent of the units to be provided by government at prices ranging from 10-20 per cent of those provided for higher income groups. If the Federal Government was really planning to address the suffering of low-income groups this ought to have been reflected in appropriate policies.

11Furthermore, the financial policies are equally faulty. The Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) has not proved a good instrument for helping the low-income groups, and the high and upper medium-income groups have grabbed whatever was available, since the favoured group decides whom to lend to. The granting of any funds to this body (FMBN) without an expressed injunction as to which class should benefit from them is fraught with possibilities of injustice to the less powerful and less vocal class – the poor.

12Inasmuch as government efforts and the large-scale resources devoted to these have not yielded the desired results, it is necessary to try some other solutions particularly those that can be related to our culture.

13In short, government has found it increasingly difficult, if not Impossible, to construct a sufficient number of public housing units and to extend community services to meet the needs of urban areas. Not only are the costs of doing so prohibitive, but public bureaucracies in Nigeria have insufficient managerial capacity to extend services effectively. Due to its limited financial and administrative capacity government must require national and state governments to seriously explore alternative policies for helping urban residents obtain greater access to shelter through self-help construction.

Objectives of the study

14The broad objective of this research was to develop strategies for evolving appropriate self-help housing systems for participating groups and communities. Specifically, the objectives of the study were to:

  1. identify a number of institutions in the communities in which potential cooperatives may be found

  2. ascertain the attitudes of such groups to cooperative housing

  3. examine potential financial arrangements for cooperative housing schemes

Research methodology

15The data used in this study were collected during a survey which was carried out between August and December 1993 in three cities in Oyo and Osun State; Osogbo, Ibadan and Ile-Ife. By national standards all these towns are characterized by high population density and concentration of job opportunities. The cities have served as strong pull factors for the rural population of surrounding areas. The cities selected have large concentrations of self-help cooperative organizations as indicated in the two state surveys, which were carried out on three groups of respondents. Structured questionnaires were used to interview (i) officials of self-help organizations, (ii) government officials, development officers and (iii) self-help cooperative communities.

16The research team secured the list of groups and their members from the state division of cooperatives in the three cities. The list was selected with the help of cooperative officers in charge of groups and the assistant registrars of the cooperatives. Altogether, 1,500 households were surveyed. The breakdown of surveyed households is shown in table 1. The number of researchers that went to each city was based on size, population and number of cooperative groups.

Table 1. Breakdown of Survey Households

Cities

Number of households

Percentages

Ile-Ife

250

16.5

Ibadan

750

50.0

Osogbo

500

33.5

Total

1500

100.0

17The information requested for in the questionnaires included:

  1. Background information – age, sex, level of education, family size, etc.

  2. Type of organization – cooperative, self-help group, special group and trade union.

  3. Capital and expenditure profile – income, sources of capital, and spending profile, etc.

18Members of households were interviewed on an individual and private basis, sometimes in their houses, but usually outdoors in their community. They were encouraged to give answers only if they understood the questions and not to answer if indeed they did not know. The questions were comprehensive in nature allowing respondents to do most of the talking while researchers listened and took notes.

Results of the study

Characteristics of the selected community self-help groups

19Self-help groups have had a long history in the study area, but our survey indicated that 55 per cent of the groups were formed within the past 20 years, while only 6 per cent were in existence for more than 20 years. The oldest group interviewed was formed 37 years ago at Ile-Ife. Among the six oldest groups surveyed, four of them were based in Osogbo and two in Ibadan.

20Results of the survey showed that respondents engaged in different kinds of occupations: carpentry, trading, working in the civil service, teaching, tailoring, motor vehicle repairs and farming. People who were in the same occupation formed trade groups, e.g., the Association of Master Bakers.

21Respondents were questioned as to when they joined the groups. A majority of the members (61 %) joined between five and ten years ago whereas, only four per cent joined their groups recently, that is, less than four years ago. Each group held meetings as often as the occasion demanded, but usually monthly. They also held emergency meetings. The officials in the ministry were usually invited to all meetings and would take note of all the problems facing the groups and any progress made.

22General management decisions were jointly taken by members in each group. The procedure in confirming the wish of the house at group meetings was usually by majority vote, each member was entitled to only one vote. Every member had the right to vote and be voted for. The chairman of each group usually presided over the proceedings. All respondents interviewed’ asserted that their individual occupations had no adverse effect on the progress of their groups, rather, they felt the wealth of experience garnered from their various jobs contributed to their progress.

23Members were asked why they joined self-help groups. Four per cent of the respondents indicated that they joined because they expected either the state and/or Federal Government to give financial assistance to all groups formed. A majority of the members believed that they would readily obtain loans from credit institutions if they could form themselves into cooperative groups. Information revealed that enlightened individuals in the communities took an active interest in persuading individuals to form or join cooperative groups because of the low rate of interest charged by banks on loans given to members.

The attitude of groups to cooperative housing

24It was necessary to identify the cultural priorities of the respondents while discussing housing cooperatives. From our investigations an average person in the study area believed that shelter was one of the basic needs of life. Seventy-five per cent of the respondents confirmed that they owned plots of land and this was an indication that the majority of them had an intention to construct their own personal houses. Land ownership is a strong indicator of a desire to have a house. The survey revealed that all the respondents were inclined towards building houses.

25As to methods of land acquisition, 39 per cent of the respondents inherited their land, 58 per cent indicated that they purchased their own, while the remaining 3 per cent stated that their plots of land were received as gifts from friends.

26Investigations revealed that the stage of development of the land depended on the age of the respondents, as well as the degree of commitment to the project. Our data showed that respondents within the 25-29 age group had not achieved much apart from the purchase of land. About 46 per cent of those who had not done anything towards the development of their land fell within that age group. Generally, the majority of our respondents had not done much to develop their land, probably because of the prevailing economic situation in the country. Respondents who had achieved some housing development were above 35 years of age.

27Our data revealed the respondents’ readiness to complete their on-going projects and even develop new property. About 74 per cent of the respondents intended to have other properties developed if they had the chance. The intention to develop more buildings was common in the age group of 30 to 59 years, but declined from 60 years upwards. In the three cities surveyed, respondents in the age group 30 to 59, were aggressive in the pursuit of the acquisition of properties, while the older ones were consolidating their achievements.

28When questions were posed as to the respondents’ choice of housing, 75 per cent said they preferred to live in bungalows; 12 per cent in duplexes; 8.5 per cent in self-contained flats; and about 4 per cent in blocks of flats. A further breakdown of figures revealed that almost 80 per cent of the respondents in Osogbo preferred bungalows. Sixty-four per cent of the respondents in Ile-Ife said they preferred detached housing units. Evidence showed that families wanted to move away from the compound system (housing the extended family) towards the nuclear family and the delimited bungalow style.

Table 2. Favoured Housing Units

Table 2. Favoured Housing Units

Source: Survey data 1994.

29Respondents were asked about the number of rooms they would like to have in their houses. About half showed preference for a house with six bedrooms. About 38 per cent favoured four bedrooms and 11 per cent two bedrooms. None of the respondents showed any preference for a one bedroom flat. In addition, respondents indicated that if they had extra funds they would prefer more bedrooms ranging from eight upwards.

30It was clear from the interview that many of the respondents were aware of the fact that cooperative societies are vehicles through which people can be assisted to achieve their objectives. This was quite evident to 84 per cent of the respondents who confirmed that cooperative societies had played useful roles in their lives.

31The respondents were asked to indicate their preferences for the various forms of housing cooperatives. The six forms are presented in table 3.

Table 3. Preferred Forms of Housing Cooperatives

Housing Plans

Number

Percentage

1. Individual plans within the same town

330

22

2. Individual plans on a single estate owned by all

270

18

3. Uniform plan within the same town

195

13

4. Uniform plan in different towns

105

7

5. Different plans in different towns

135

9

6. Uniform plan on an estate owned by all members

465

31

Total

1500

100

32It was evident that the majority of respondents preferred the uniform plan of housing on an estate owned by all members. This plan would be administratively convenient since it would allow easy monitoring and control of construction programmes. The second was the most popular scheme based on individual plans within the same town. This would allow plenty of freedom of choice of plans though it would increase the complexity of administrating the funding and monitoring of the different designs. The third plan, which 18 per cent of our respondents preferred, was the construction of individual plans on a single estate owned by all. While the least preferred plan was that of uniform plans spread over different towns.

Potential financial arrangements

33Respondents were asked about ways of funding cooperative housing schemes. Choices were made from the realistic options that could be used in developing housing cooperatives.

34From table 4, it is observed that a majority of the respondents (76 %) would prefer to start all the houses at the same time and build until all units were completed. Forty-two per cent, however, wanted all the houses completed by the group and maintained by them. The least attractive alternative was that houses be built to a stage and then the cooperative or group disbanded.

35In the matter of supplying houses to members, respondents preferred to be part of a cooperative group that would buy a group of houses and thus benefit from the group purchase. Apart from the savings that would be made in the group purchases they would be able to enjoy several other facilities available within the estate. Some of those social facilities would include health, water

Table 4. Funding

Alternatives

Number

Percentage

1. Contribution of money/materials by groups to build houses for all

510

34

2. Buying houses for all and dis-banding groups after completion

225

15

3. Financing houses up to a stage before disbanding and leaving individuals to complete the houses

135

9

4. Starting and completing all units and the groups maintaining members’ houses

630

42

Total

1500

100

36The most important factor in the provision of housing is cost and respondents were asked for suggestions on how to reduce construction costs to a minimum.

37Consequently, during the survey respondents were given three options to choose from as shown in table 5. About 55 per cent of the respondents preferred a reduction in the quality of materials used in constructing the houses in order to cut the cost of construction. Almost 27 per cent preferred to reduce the size of rooms and about 18 per cent opted to reduce both space and quality of material in order to reduce costs. This implied that respondents would be willing to use local building materials rather than imported ones. If local building materials are used the cost of transportation and cost of different construction techniques could be reduced.

38Further ways of reducing costs by direct involvement of potential house owners in the actual construction of the houses were presented to respondents. Three areas of owner participation were also presented as shown in table 6.

Table 5. Ways of Reducing Cost

Form of Reduction

Number

Percentage

1. To reduce size

405

27

2. To reduce quality of materials

825

55

3. To reduce both size and quality of materials

270

18

Total

1500

100

39The responses indicated that 39 per cent of the respondents in the three cities would prefer to purchase the materials themselves. It was clear that they did not trust tradesmen and artisans to buy at fair prices. The second alternative was the moulding of blocks by local machines. About 34 per cent of the respondents wanted to participate in the moulding of blocks. Block moulding, is an apparently uncomplicated, though demanding task. It is also an area where great savings in cost and reduction in pilfering of materials could be attained.

Table 6. Direct Involvement in Construction

Forms of Involvement

Number

Percentage

Moulding blocks with local machine

510

34

Assisting tradesmen in construction

405

27

Purchasing materials for tradesmen to work with

585

39

Total

1500

100

40It is not surprising that they were not interested in the provision of assistance to tradesmen in the task of construction. The areas of preference of respondents constituted areas where they were aware that fraudulent practices could be introduced into building construction, i.e., the inflation of the cost of building materials by builders or contractors.

41Another area of the survey concerned the source of funds for purchasing completed houses. The choice of loan sources had been restricted by the economic downturn. About 67 per cent of the respondents indicated their preference for making their monthly payments with the cooperative group as guarantor. The second preferred alternative was the monthly payment with the employer acting as guarantor. The least preferred alternative was the use of mortgage banks – whereby loans were obtained on submission of collateral and payments made monthly to the banks. Bank loans are often so inaccessible and surrounded by such elaborate bureaucracy that all but the very informed or the well-connected are discouraged. The interest rates are subject to changes and the possibility of default in repayment and the consequent auction of property is very high.

Strategies for evolving appropriate cooperative housing systems

42In recommending possible strategies for evolving appropriate cooperative housing systems, certain principles are necessary to lay the foundation for cooperative action in this type of housing scheme. The first is open membership: anyone, man or woman, should be able to join the group. In the real sense membership in a cooperative society must be approved by the committee. The second is educating each member of a housing cooperative society so that he/she fully recognizes his\her rights and responsibilities. The third is that of democratic control. Every member should be entitled to one vote in their associations so that control of the society is based on the equality of all members.

43One of the major observations from this study is the universal enthusiasm shown by all to the idea of cooperative housing. It is obvious that housing is a basic necessity and that the acquisition of a personal house remains a common goal of all adults in the survey group. Other observations are (i) that there are shortages of urban housing and (ii) respondents showed a favourable attitude towards cooperative housing.

44In many countries, governments have been prepared to give special facilities to cooperative housing and to make funds available to them on easy terms. In order to meet the rapidly expanding shelter needs of the poor in Nigeria, government must promote self-help by the urban dwellers on a much larger scale than has been possible through sites-and-services or in site upgrading schemes. It is through these efforts that many groups would be able to have dwelling units.

45An obvious implication of the favourable attitude to cooperative housing groups is that it will emerge in stages. Evidently, the screening of members for selection to carry out various aspects of the design and implementation of the programmes eliminates or modifies the involvement of would-be members. Consequently, ‘filtering’ of members in subsequent stages of the programme will increase the chances of success of housing cooperatives. The following strategies are recommended, based on these major implications.

46For a successful cooperative housing system, the board of directors (committee members) should deal with the entry of new members. It is suggested that membership be subject to the possession of a title or certificate of occupancy on a given land or access to a piece of land.

47There should be sub-committees for designing houses, contracts and tenders. The board of directors of cooperative committees should approve housing design and tenders, supervise the signing of contracts, and obtain loans on behalf of members.

48Cost reduction can be tackled in various ways. The first area is in the assigning of tasks. The sub-committee on construction should be able to decide which tasks will be carried out by direct labour and where this method is economically advantageous. In housing construction, materials form about 62 per cent of the cost of housing. Their sourcing is therefore important. Materials sourced locally would reduce the cost of transportation.

49It is recommended that cooperative groups should have general guiding rules on the use of houses. It should be made clear to all members that the houses are only meant for residential purposes. There should be environmental regulations so that the houses are maintained and their surroundings kept in good condition.

50As a matter of policy, it is important for cooperatives to purchase group insurance. A cooperative society must at least take a policy against fire. This must be included in the cooperative society’s constitution.

Government policy options

51The following important concessions need to be made to the cooperative societies to increase the access of the poor to shelter.

  • houses built by cooperative societies should be exempted from property taxes

  • land purchased for building should be exempted from sales tax

  • the materials purchased for building residential houses should be free from value-added tax

  • housing cooperatives must be able to enjoy tax relief on the amount paid for insurance policies on such houses

52In conclusion, it can be seen that a well-managed cooperative housing system would offer tremendous opportunities for the urban poor. For cooperative housing systems to be long-term and successful, further research is needed in the areas of their management and the application of building materials for cooperative housing.

Bibliographie

Abiodun, J.0. 1985. Housing problems in Nigerian cities. In: Housing in Nigeria: A book of readings. P. Onibokun, ed. Intec Printers Ltd., Ibadan.

Adeyemo, R. 1989. Cooperatives and Development in Sub-Saharan Africa. Ekopan Publisher Ltd., Germany.

Adeyemo, R. 1992. Cooperative housing: Lessons from agricultural cooperatives. Paper presented at a National Workshop on Housing in Nigeria, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

Falade, J. B. 1990. Planning for cooperative housing at macro level. Paper presented at a National Workshop on Housing in Nigeria, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

Federal Government of Nigeria. Third National Development Plan 1975-1980.

Federal Government of Nigeria. Fourth National Development Plan 1981-1985.

Federal Government of Nigeria. Fifth National Development Plan 1986-1990.

Onibokun, F. 1983. Issues in Nigerian Housing. Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), Ibadan.

Wahab, K. A. 1990. Concept of cooperative housing. Paper presented at National Workshop on Housing in Nigeria, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife.

Table des illustrations

Titre Table 2. Favoured Housing Units
Crédits Source: Survey data 1994.
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