Evaluating the Factors Affecting Sustainable Land Accessibility for Real Estate Development in Benin City, Nigeria

Bernard  Adjekophori; Fidelis I.  Emoh; Ayobami  Idowu; Olumide  Ola

Bernard Adjekophori Department of Estate Management and Valuation, Auchi Polytechnic, Auchi, Edo State
Fidelis I. Emoh Department of Architecture and Planning, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana
Ayobami Idowu Department of Construction Management and Quantity Surveying, University of Johannesburg, South Africa
Olumide Ola Department of Estate Management, University of Jos, Nigeria

Keywords: Factors, Land Accessibility, Real Estate, Sustainable Development Goals, Strategies

Abstract

Access to land, apart from being a fundamental human right, is also a core objective of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. Achieving this right appears to have defied all sustainable strategies, making the provision of adequate and affordable housing a herculean task, thus putting it out of reach for poor and middle-income households. This survey-based study evaluates the factors affecting effective and sustainable access to land for real-estate development in Benin City, Nigeria. Using a cross-sectional survey design, the study adopted random and purposive sampling techniques, with a well-structured 5-point Likert questionnaire to sample 236 respondents, comprising 210 household heads/owners of properties and 26 heads of firms in the estate surveying sector. Data collected were captured in the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS Version 20) and were analyzed using Mean Item Score (MIS), Standard Deviation (SD), Relative Importance Index (IRR), Factor Analysis (FA), and Spearman`s Rank Order Correlation Coefficient to test the study’s hypothesis. Findings showed a significant statistical relationship between land accessibility methods and real-estate development (rho = 0.934; P > 0.05). It was also discovered that issues of poor land registration system, personal status, family status and delay in documentation of title were major factors affecting land accessibility in the study area. Consequently, the study recommends statutory adjustment of land-accessing methods in the city in the bid to provide equal access that will further guarantee the effectiveness of the process. This could be achieved by enacting laws and policies that will enhance easy access to land. It is also necessary to tackle the indigenous land ownership syndrome, as a way to remove a major impediment to land allocation at the family and community levels. Land officers in the ministry need to undergo regular and compulsory training for effectiveness in land documentation and transactions in the state.