THE ROLE OF FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS IN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA (A CASE STUDY OF ENUGU METROPOLIS IN ENUGU STATE)

INTRODUCTION 

Housing is one of the three basic needs of mankind and it is the most important for the physical survival of man after the provision of food.  Decent housing is one of the basic needs of every individual, the family and the community in general.  As a pre-requisite to the survival of man, it ranks secondly only the food.  It is also one of the best indicates of a persons standard of driving and his place in a society.  The housing and individual lives in a symbol of his status, a measure of this achievement and social acceptance, an expression, an expression of his personality and the barometer that seems to indicate in a large measure. The way the individual perceives himself and how the perceived by the large society. Is the measure of all good (or bad) things in life that will come to him and his family (Agbola, 1995). 

The importance of housing in human development has been well documented by scholars.  The position of scholars varys depending on the aspect of housing each one delves into.  Omirin (1998), researched into land a accessibility and low income house building in metropolitan Lagos. Based on her analysis of house builders behavior of selected low income earners of Lagos she asserts that it is a wrong notion to continue to rank land accessibility as the greatest constraints of house builders. 

She stated that lack of finance an escalating cost now takes precedence overland accessibility.  Williams (2002), opines that access to shelter produced by public agencies continue to conclude the urban poor who simply cannot muster the financial resources required to procure these housing units.  Jaiyeoba and Amole (2002) examined the appropriateness and socio economic implications of law income housing delivery as supportive rather than provider approach.  They stated that what a required is the determination of the extent to which the law income groups require support.  Olusola Aina and Ata (2002) identified lack of soft loan as one of the major obstacle against urban housing production Nigeria.

However, the fact remain that Enugu Metropolis has been the administration centre for the then Eastern region, Enugu metropolis is occupied mainly by government workers with low income. This position makes for their use.  They therefore resort to borrowing from both formal and informal sources in order to find money for housing development and also Enugu metropolis is made up Enugu.

The questions then is the existing financial institutions in Enugu metropolis enough to satisfy the demand for residential housing loans of these law income earner residing in Enugu metropolis? If not how can be situation be improved.  This research worth therefore intends to the existing finical structure of Enugu metropolis with a view to finding out how efficient it has been performing and proposing how the system could be improved.

Housing estates are fundamental and essential features in the urban environment.  Adequate provisions of housing estate have economic and social life of the urban citizens and its inadequate has the Enugu effect.