Institutional constraints on housing development: The urban areas of Nigeria: The land-use decree and the building plan approval process

Abstract

This paper argues that the land-use decree and the building approval process have become additional institutional bottlenecks which prospective urban housing developers must contend with. Contrary to these experiences, these two para-legal institutions were made to ease in part, the difficulties associated with housing development in the urban areas in Nigeria. The paper then briefly analyses how these institutions operate that made them cogs in the wheels of housing development. Some remedial measures suggested to obliterate the difficulties associated with these institutional constraints include: the possession, acquisition and servicing of urban land for sale to the general public; the need for a complete land information system through the use of cadastral survey; public enlightenment with regard to the requirements of the planning authorities on local building plans; and the provision of official vehicles or car loans to site inspectors.