Urban Management in the Context of Liveability and Social Exclusion in Nigeria: A Review

Abstract

Nigerian cities have some of the lowest liveability indices worldwide due to environmental degradation exacerbated by the remarkable expansion in the country’s urban population. Various studies have revealed links between city liveability and urban management, indicating the urban challenges faced by Nigerian cities are due to fundamental flaws in city management systems designed to exclude critical urban actors. Therefore, this paper examines the nature and impact of city governments’ urban management systems (U.M.S.) on inclusivity and liveability in Nigeria. Based on an extensive literature review, the paper notes that incorporating urban management under local governments (typically urban and rural settlements) redirects attention from urban centres, resulting in their current problems. Additionally, the performance of municipal administration in Nigeria has been impacted by the exclusion of critical urban players from city management. Therefore, the article urges reviewing the current urban management paradigm and advises investigating cutting-edge strategies to reposition urban management in Nigeria.