Residents’ Perception of Development Control Challenges in the Southwestern Region of Nigeria

Abstract

Development control plays a significant role in the orderly growth and sustainable development of cities. This is dependent on the perception held by the residents of development control operations. This study examined residents’ perception of development control activities in the cities of southwestern Nigeria. Data for this study were obtained from both primary and secondary sources. The primary data were obtained through questionnaire administration. A total of 1790 building owners and heads of households were selected out of 89476  in the four identified residential zones (high, medium, low, and planned residential schemes) in Abeokuta, Ado-Ekiti, and Osogbo through a multistage sampling technique. A descriptive method of data analysis was adopted in this study. Findings reveal that the socioeconomic characteristics of residents vary based on residential locations and this determines the residents' level of understanding of the roles of development control agencies, as well as their satisfaction and compliance with planning regulations. The results from this study further show that residents’ perceptions of the functions of development control agencies (3.90) and their level of satisfaction (3.93) were low. This was more pronounced in the high and medium residential densities as the residents’ perception of the functions of development control activities in the zones were 2.73 and 3.48 respectively. Despite the differences in the residents’ perception, the study established that lack of development/master plans (4.53), poor monitoring (4.28), political interference (4.27) and bribery and corruption are the major problems militating against the effectiveness of development control operations in the study area. The study therefore recommends that the planning agencies should embark on aggressive public education and enlightenment campaigns to sensitize residents on the activities of the planning agencies. Efforts should be made by the government to rid the  planning agencies of corrupt elements and take the necessary steps to prepare the development plans to guide the growth and development of the cities .