A Socio-Economic Profiling of Households Livelihood and Vulnerability at Urban Slum/Bligted Communities in Lagos: a Case Study of Makoko Uriri
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International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume III, Issue VIII, August 2019|ISSN 2454-6186 A Socio-Economic Profiling of Households Livelihood and Vulnerability at Urban Slum/Bligted Communities in Lagos: A Case Study of Makoko Uriri. A.E (Ph.D.), Makanju.A.O*, Ikpe.R. Department of Geography and Planning, University of Lagos, Nigeria *Corresponding Author Abstract:-The advent of crude oil in Nigeria led to an A slum is a heavily populated urban informal settlement unprecedented rate of urbanization and rural-urban trans- characterized by substandard housing and squalor. While locational activities; this coupled with massive macro-economic slums differ in size and other characteristics from country to wealth leakages, poor urban land-use management systems, country, most lack reliable sanitation services, supply of clean population explosion and the endemic nature of widespread water, reliable electricity, timely law enforcement and other poverty. Given these effect slums have become major spatial manifestations of urbanization and poverty in most Nigerian basic services. Slum residences vary from shanty houses to urban spaces with Lagos not being an exception. This study professionally-built dwellings that because of poor-quality profiles the socio-economic attributes of households with design or construction have deteriorated into slums. (UN- particular reference to their vulnerability status to slum Habitat, 2007) Slums were common in the 19th and early 20th conditions in Makoko community, data was sourced primarily centuries in the United States and Europe. (Lawrence,2007). via the administration of questionnaires to 294 households, More recently slums have been predominantly found in urban wherein a combination of quantitative and qualitative analytical regions of developing and undeveloped parts of the world, but techniques were utilized. The results of this study results are also found in developed economies. (UN-Habitat, revealed that the proportion of households headed by females 2007;Braimoh and Onishi, 2007) (31.7% >25.5%) was greater than the State average, Based on the constructed study wealth quintile, 32.2% of households were According to the United Nations Habitat report of 2012, situated in the poorest quintile with a sum estimate of 70.6% of around 33 %( 863 million people) of the urban population in households termed as poor and socially disadvantaged, findings the developing world live in slums. In the same year also, the based on the umbrella methodology revealed that vulnerability proportion of urban population living in slums was highest in indices of socio-economic factors scores of households ranged between 0.06-0.91(0-1scale), economic vulnerability was the most Sub-Saharan Africa (61.7%), followed by South Asia (35%), prevalent source of household vulnerability given that an Southeast Asia (31%), East Asia (28.2%), West Asia (24.6%), estimated 21.1% of households surveyed were categorized as Oceania (24.1%), Latin America and the Caribbean (23.5%), extremely vulnerable and 63.6% of households were grouped as and North Africa (13.3%). Among individual countries, the vulnerable . Based on the findings from this study we proportion of urban residents living in slum areas in 2009 was recommend; the need for strengthened public-private highest in the Central African Republic (95.9%). Between partnership in terms of regeneration of land use system, 1990 and 2010 the percentage of people living in slums improved flood management, Provision of social utilities, income dropped, even as the total urban population increased. The generating and food security projects, improved accessibility to world's largest slum city is in Mexico City. (UN-Habitat 2003; start-up capital. The Lagos State Government should relocate occupants of buildings situated in the most vulnerable location in IB Times, 2011),Slums form and grow in many different parts Makoko to other habitable parts of the State. of the world for many different reasons. Some causes include rapid rural-to-urban migration, economic stagnation and Keywords: Socio-economic, Vulnerability, Resilience, Umbrella depression, high unemployment, poverty, informal economy, model, Makoko, Lagos State poor planning, politics, natural disasters and social conflicts I. INTRODUCTION (Patton, 1988). n many parts of the world, millions of people live in As women make up the majority of slum residents, they find it I informal urban settlements especially in developing challenging to get work and single mothers are stigmatized, countries where lack of resources, social amenities, and basic on top of being excluded from the formal economy because of infrastructural facilities result in environmental degradation. their religious beliefs or lack of secure assets. (Andre, 2009; In Lagos for example, it is estimated that about 70% of the Dulani et al., 2013). The women residents of slums are in city’s population live in slums or blighted communities. exponentially worse conditions because of the lack of clean (World Bank, 2006; Lanrewaju 2012; FRN,2012). and sanitary water. Without good water and sanitation, maternal and baby mortality rates rise and diseases thrive. The www.rsisinternational.org Page 475 International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) |Volume III, Issue VIII, August 2019|ISSN 2454-6186 lack of hospitals and funding for proper hospital staff and birth to only two children, she will be socially stigmatized as supplies is a contributing factor (Bipasha, 2008). not productive enough. Women and girls often bear the brunt of problems associated This studyassess the socio-economic profile of women in with living in slums. They are burdened with fetching and households livelihood and their level of vulnerability to carrying water over long distances, and caring for sick family associated socio-environmental externalities, amongst which members, leaving them little time for education or to make a are health related risks, general social insecurity, and living. In city slums where sanitation facilities are poor or substandard living conditions. non-existent, going to the toilet at night or in the early TheUmbrella Model morning puts women at risk as they could be sexually harassed. The umbrella model for measuring household livelihood vulnerability was developed in 2010 by the Livelihood and In Lagos metropolis, Makoko is apparently one of the largest Food Security Trust Fund, in an attempt to introduce a more low income communities with half of its population on water robust and measureable selection criteria, this ensures that the and half on land. It is a slum spread out beneath the most right interventions reaches the most disadvantaged sub- travelled bridge in West Africa’s megalopolis. It was founded population. The model is so called because of its application as a fishing village in the late 19th century by immigrants from to plot household vulnerability in a user-friendly umbrella the Egun ethnic group. To make a living in Makoko slum, style radar plot to illustrate the relative degree of ‘protection’ many residents operate boat shops which float through the which a household has against shocks and hazards. The tool neighborhood, selling a variety of domestic items such as draws on Moser’s Asset vulnerability framework to measure food, snacks, and cooking oil. Residents travel through the household economic vulnerability according to ten (10) neighborhood by canoes, boats, or over a few wooden bridges factors (indebtedness, productive income, livelihood diversity, and walkways. dependency ratio, asset profile, water & sanitation, food It is noteworthy that the community is self-governed with security, health, social capital and decision making power) little or no influence of security forces; this thereby poses a (Moser, 1998) and was developed according to a livelihood security challenge. Also, the community is characterized by a and vulnerability framework developed bythe Livelihood and very high rate of fertility because they do not believe in the Food Security Trust Fund as utilized in Myanmar). The full use of contraceptives and birth control pills. If a woman gives list of factors and linked indicators is included (Table 1). Table 1: Vulnerability factors, Contributions to vulnerability, Indicators and sources Factor Contribution to vulnerability Indicator Source of validation High levels of non-productive debt put livelihood assets at Debt repayment as risk (collateral); repayments may reduce essential proportion of income World Bank 1997vii, Indebtedness expenditure; high levels of existing debt can reduce ability Repayment: income ratio adapted to access additional credit >30% is usually risky Low or negative income: expenditure ratio can lead to Proportion of income reduction in essential spending, increase risk of debt or expended on nonproductive World Bank 1997, Income negative coping responses. High proportion of income items (food, adapted spent on non-productive items can lead to underinvestment health, rent, fines) in livelihood, leading to higher risk Current and prior experience of food insecurity is strongly linked with increased vulnerability to future food Food Security insecurity. Likewise, food insecurity leading to Food Security Index UNDPix, modified malnutrition can affect human capital, and put livelihoods at risk. Chronic or frequent illness in primary earner OR one requiring care threatens livelihood security and reduces Income generating income, as well as increasing