ACCESS TO RESIDENTIAL LAND AND ITS IMPLICATION IN SOKOTO METROPOLIS, NIGERIA.

Dankani, I.M. and Bello, N.

This paper examined access to residential land and its implication in Sokoto Metropolis. Most challenges confronting cities in Nigeria could be attributed to how land is accessed, managed and governed and these have implication on the nature of the built environment. Data for this study were obtained through administration of structured questionnaire to 344 respondents’ selected using systematic sampling technique. Data were analyzed and presented using tables showing frequencies and percentages. Investigation into whether respondents applied for land allocation from the government reveals that 84% of the respondents claimed that they never applied for land from the Government and 16% claimed they did. Out of those who claimed to apply for land allocation, only 40% were successful. The study also revealed that purchase is the major means of land acquisition among 79% of the respondents while only 4% of respondents acquire land through inheritance. Most of the areas are not government designated layouts and are characterized by land fragmentation, dearth of infrastructure and poor planning and environmental quality. The study recommends among others, the need for a holistic approach to ensure that land as a vital tool in urban growth and development is properly distributed and managed using efficient tools of land administration and planning.

Key words: Access, Implication, Residential land, Sokoto metropolis.