Urban Space Expansion and Loss of Family Land Holdings In Idah And Its Environs, Kogi State, Nigeria

Abstract

The Mounting Concern Of Urbanization and Anthropogenic Alterations of Water Bodies, Vegetal Cover And Other Natural Resources Has Continued to Dominate The Front Burner In Contemporary Academic Discuss Across The Globe. In A Related Development, This Study Examined Urban Space Expansion And Loss Of Traditional Land Holding In Idah And Its Environs, Kogi State, Nigeria. To Achieve This Broad Objective, 740 Household Heads Were Sampled In Addition To 36 Discussants From 3 Focused Groups Made Up Of Community Chiefs, Elders Between The Ages Of 40 And 65 Years Old. Three Research Questions Were Raised To Guide The Study. The Cultural Consensus Theory Guided The Analytical Process Of The Study. Both Quantitative And Qualitative Data Were Gathered In The Course Of The Study. The Quantitative Data Were Analyzed Using The Analytical Tool Of Simple Percentage, While The Qualitative Information Was Analyzed Using Narratives And Excerpts. The Result From The Analysis Revealed That Urban Space Expansion Has Led To The Loss Of A Significant Amount Of Family Land And Natural Resources. Based On These Findings, The Study Proffered Recommendations Which Are Protection Of Lands And Resources From External Threats And Maintaining Livelihood Security And Participatory Urban Development. The Findings And Recommendations Have Implications For Theory And Practice. First It Opened Up Knowledge For Further Research And Secondly, It Stands As A Guide For Urban Policy Makers In Preserving Land And Other Natural Resources In Idah And Its Environs. 1.1 Background To The Study Urban Space Expansion, Urban Sprawl And Urbanization Can Be Used Interchangeably To Capture The Spatial (Horizontal Or Vertical) Expansion Of Urban Areas Or Cities Arising From Population Growth (See; Un, 2009; Raimi, Ekpenyong & Wabah, 2011 And Potts, 2013). The Growth Of Cities And Unprecedented Rural-To-Urban Migration Throughout The World Are Frequently Cited As Defining Global Trends Of The 21st Century. All Over The World, Academic And Not Least Policy Concerns Are Beginning To Mount Especially With The Need To Understand And By Extension Check The Growing Loss Of Land Holdings And The Extinction Of Traditional Ecological Knowledge (Tek.. Kogi State Which Is Located In The North Central Region Of Nigeria Is No Different As The Major Urban Areas In The State Namely Lokoja, Okene, Idah, Ankpa Etc Are Fast Expanding. For Instance, Unihabitat (2010) Rated Lokoja The Kogi State Capital As One Of The Fastest Growing Cities In The World. The State‟s Urbanization Trajectory Is Likely To Put Pressure On Nearby Local Communities Especially With The Recently Signed Usd 1.3 Million Urban Development Agreements With Unihabitat. Hence, As The State Becomes More Concerned With Urbanization Empirical Effort Is Required To Understand Its Effect On Local People, Particularly, Their Land Holdings. 1.2 Statement Of The Problem Although, Quite A Number Of Empirical Works Are Replete Within The Field Of Tek Especially, Traditional Land Holdings, It Is Nevertheless Worthy To Point Out That Most Of The Studies Have Been Carried Out Outside The Shores Of Nigeria. Literature Shows A Concentration Of Tek Studies In Latin American Countries, Especially In Brazil And Mexico With Particular Focus On Economic Development And How This Affects The Ecological Knowledge Of The People. In Nigeria, However, While There Are Numerous Studies On Economic Development, Urbanization Or Even Capitalist Expansion, Empirical Works On How These Mutually Reinforcing Activities Affect Traditional Ecological Heritage Of Aboriginal People, Particularly In The Area Land Holding, Are Almost Non-Existent Thereby Creating A Vacuum For A Study Of This Nature. Based On The Above, The Challenge Of Urbanization For Local Knowledge In Kogi State Becomes Very Attractive For An Intellectual Enterprise Of This Nature Due To Recent Growth Trends Of Its Cities. Urban Space Expansion And Loss Of Family Land Holdings DOI: 10.9790/0837-2109142738 www.iosrjournals.org 28 | Page 1.3 Research Questions The Following Research Questions Guided The Data Collection Exercise In This Study:  To What Extent Does Urban Space Expansion Lead To Loss Of Family Land Fuse In Idah And Its Environs  What Is The Effect Of The Loss Of Family Land Holding On The Overall Wellbeing Of Idah Community Life?  How Can The Land And Vegetative Heritage Be Conserved In The Face Of Urban Space Expansion In Idah?