Socio–Economic Characteristics of Residents and Their Housing Needs, With a Focus on Osogbo Town, Osun State, South West Nigeria (Extract of My Earlier Published Work)

ESV Adesanmi O. Thomas,

It is well known that housing is one of the basic human need which is necessary and compulsory to (Agbola, 2004; UN-Habitat, 2006). This implies that everyone must own a home. Owoeye (2013) asserted that housing can influence the health, lifestyle, and social life of residents. It can also be seen as a tool measure one’s standard of living.
World Bank (2005) asserted that poor quality of housing had its toll on the degradation of the environment. Also, Opko, Oluwatayo and Ezema (2016) established that the recent collapse of structures can be attributed to its quality. In developing countries, Ilesanmi (2012) posited that unplanned neighborhoods in relations to poor design have influenced the quality of housing. Particularly in Nigeria, the problem of housing quality persists and has led to various environmental issues (Adeleye, Azeez & Yusuff, 2014). Magbogunje (2002) and Adeleye and Anofojie (2011) opined that the causes of poor quality of housing includes high population growth, rural-urban migration and continuing urbanization. In the light of the foregoing, it is expected that the quality of housing will have influence on the quality of life and well-being of residents in an urban centre. However, it is considered that the enduring solutions to poor housing quality should be sought from the residents who are the users. This study will therefore attempt to examine the residents’ perception of housing quality in Osogbo, Nigeia.
In Nigeria, there are some studies on housing quality previously (Olayiwola, Olotuah, 2008; Adeleye and Jiboye, 2006; Opko et al. 2016); Nevertheless, these studies have their limitations. The study of Olayiwola et al. (2006) examined the effect of social-cultural factors on the quality of housing in Osogbo, Nigeria. The study established that the quality level of building and

infrastructural elements is below the desired and expected standards in the study area. However, a study of the social-cultural factors of housing quality may not completely reveal the necessary information of perceived quality of housing. Therefore, the present study investigated the socio- economic characteristics of residents in the residential zones of Osogbo, Nigeria.
The relevance of this study is predicated on the appreciation of the essence of housing to mankind and national development. Apart from providing a basis for evaluating the pattern of housing quality in Osogbo, Nigeria, this study will provide information on the inputs of residents which could assist real estate professionals and investors. Information provided by this study will also be useful in knowing the type of property and facility required by residents. This study will also contribute to the existing literature in housing studies and real estate investment. However, the study focuses on the residential properties in Osogbo, Nigeria. Also, the study was divided into residential zones (low, medium and high densities)

Concept of Housing

It is important to note that the housing is not synonymous to mere shelter, but it has to do with every facility that improves the dwelling of man. Hence, housing includes physical structure, services, facilities, and other devices (Adedeji, 2008; Omoniyi & Jiboye, 2009; Owoeye & Sogbon, 2012). In view of the above, housing can be described as the totality of a building or structure with physical and social amenities that are decent, safe, and clean for people to commute. Arising from the foregoing, quality can be described as a subjective term. This is to say that quality means different thing to different people depending on the perspective of the users at a particular point in time and ythe satisfaction such user gets from product in question. So is housing quality.