The Peculiar Nature of Land Use Dynamics in Nigeria

Abstract

Nigerian cities are experiencing rapid non-complementary land use dynamics. Many residential dwellings in established neighbourhoods have been converted to illegal mixed land uses, especially commercial activities. Efforts made by the government to address the problem such as demolition of illegal structures and preparation of urban master plans have not yielded the desired results. The problem still persists because of poor understanding of the peculiarity of the nation’s land use dynamics. The goal of this study was to identify and characterize the peculiar nature of land use dynamics in Nigeria. Primary data on the nature of land use dynamics used in this study were collected through questionnaire from two Nigerian cities. These are Enugu and Benin-city, which were selected to represent inorganic and organic cities respectively. Principal component analysis was used to identify and characterize the peculiar nature of land use dynamics. The results found four and three types of peculiar non-complimentary mixed land uses in Enugu and Benin City respectively which were largely driven by informal sector activities. The study recommended, among other things the incorporation of the peculiar nature of land use dynamics into urban development programs in Nigeria.