Homelessness in Lagos Nigeria: Challenges to Sustainable Development

Adequate shelter has always been one of man’s basic needs; it is a significant component for human survival and a useful barometer for gauging societal development. As a unit of the environment, it has a profound influence on the health, efficiency, social behavior, satisfaction, productivity, and general wellbeing of the individual and the entire community. However, one of the critical challenges to sustainable development in the developing countries wherein Nigeria belongs is the lack of adequate shelter expressed in quantitative and qualitative terms. This problem has been necessitated by several factors, including persistent population increases, inadequate housing, and uncontrolled urban growth pattern resulting in “homelessness” among the vast majority of urban dwellers. The need to ensure decent and affordable shelter to the people, particularly the urban poor, is therefore central to the achievement and improvement of both human living standards and societal development. This study contextually discusses this urban phenomenon, both its causes and consequences. It also discusses the concept of sustainable development. Through a pilot survey on the homeless of the Itire Community in Lagos, the study examines the effects of homelessness on the people and the challenges of inadequate housing to sustainable development in Nigeria. Through its findings, the survey revealed the deplorable living conditions of the homeless in Itire. It shows the extent to which the poor are deprived access to decent and affordable housing. The study, thus, justifies the need for adequate housing. It also provides a basis for direct official intervention in the urban housing delivery process towards achieving sustainable development in Nigeria.