Governments all over the world are taking steps to address the problem of providing adequate and
affordable housing to their people. Ogun State Government in Southwest Nigeria is not left out in
this drive, and thus initiated an integrated public housing programme in 2003 with the assumption
that the use of different strategies by different organizations will result in the provision of
adequate housing and improved quality of life for different categories of people in the State. In
view of the fact that the validity of this assumption has not been formally examined, this research
therefore aimed at evaluating public housing in Ogun State, Nigeria, with a view to examining the
extent to which the different housing delivery strategies have provided adequate and satisfactory
housing and influenced the quality of life of residents of public housing in the State.
Survey and qualitative research strategies as well as proportionate and purposive sampling
techniques were used in selecting respondents. Primary data was obtained through the
administration of questionnaire to 90 purposely selected staff members, and oral interviews with
four senior management staff in four key public housing agencies. In addition, questionnaire and
observation schedule were used in obtaining data from 517 housing units selected from four
different housing delivery strategies based on the proportion of their occurrence in nine newly
constructed public housing estates. The quantitative data was analysed using frequencies,
percentages, cross tabulations, discriminant, principal component and categorical regression
analyses; while the qualitative data was analysed using content analysis.
Findings show that the four public housing agencies sampled were rated as having adequate
organizational capacity in public housing provision. However, housing provided by the agencies
was rated affordable, inadequate and not satisfactory by the residents. Although, public housing
estates sampled lacked basic socio-economic infrastructure, majority of the respondents felt
satisfied with life in their current residences. The study found significant differences in socioeconomic
characteristics of residents and levels of housing adequacy and satisfaction across the
four strategies. Whereas the Core housing strategy provided housing for low-income earners and
was rated as having provided the most adequate and satisfactory housing, the Turnkey and PublicPrivate
Partnership (PPP) strategies provided the least adequate and satisfactory housing
respectively for middle-income earners. The Shell strategy which provided housing for highincome
class had the highest proportion of those who felt satisfied with life. Satisfaction with
management of housing estates and housing unit attributes among other attributes discriminated
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between the residents who were satisfied with life and those who were not. Housing unit
attributes were rated the most adequate and satisfactory while socio-economic infrastructure and
neighbourhood facilities were rated the least adequate and least satisfactory housing attributes.
Findings also show that housing delivery strategies, additional space requirement in the housing
units, organizational capacity as well as age, income and tenure status of respondents among
others were significant predicators of housing adequacy and residential satisfaction in the study
area. Residential satisfaction, tenure status, housing adequacy, housing delivery strategies, length
of residency, income and age of respondents were factors that influenced satisfaction with life in
the housing estates. Although findings of the study are consistent with the findings of prior
research; the categorical regression analysis (R2
= 1.000, F=718909256; P=0.000) however shows
that adequate housing (Beta=1.000, F=528886811; P=0.000) was the strongest predictor of, and
closely related to, residential satisfaction; and that housing adequacy and residential satisfaction
have significant influence on satisfaction with life.
The findings imply that the different housing delivery strategies used in public housing perform
differently in terms of residents’ perceived adequacy and satisfaction; the levels of housing
adequacy and satisfaction as well as quality of life in public housing can be enhanced through
adequate provision and maintenance of basic housing infrastructure and neighbourhood facilities;
housing adequacy and satisfaction can be used as synonymous concept in the evaluation of
housings; and the underlying assumption in public housing in Ogun State is valid.