CHALLENGES ASSOCIATED WITH SLUM SAND THE NEED FOR BETTER HOUSING CONDITIONS IN PORT HARCOURT WATERFRONT

Ofor, Joshua Daniel¹, & Ferdinand F.O.Daminabo²

¹ Rivers State University; Nkpolu Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt. Rivers State, Nigeria

² Rivers State University ; Nkpolu, Oroworukwo, Port Harcourt. Rivers State, Nigeria.

E-mail; oforjo@gmail.com, ferdydaminabo@yahoo.com

Abstract

This paper reviews the state of slums in Port Harcourt and attempt to improve the conditions of living in the waterfront, popularly known as” Waterside”. “Waterside” settlements in the Rivers state especially in the city of Port Harcourt have a long history and tradition and also constitute the astronomical growth in the city’s population. The quest for low income earners looking for cheaper accommodation, lack of residential accommodation and the influx of occupational fishermen from neighbouring communities is said to be responsible for the springing up and expansion of most of these waterside settlements in Port Harcourt. Currently, these waterside settlements have formed part of the City’s landscape, the challenges and problems associated with the waterfront have been worrisome to the government of Rivers State. The effort of the government at different dispensations to deal with these problems had not yielded any good result, right from the government of Dr. Peter Odili, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Ameachi to the present government of Governor Ezenwo Nyesom Wike. The strategies put forward by these different administrations to tackle the problems of the waterfront had met bitter opposition from the residents of the waterfront, and this has caused the government to do little or nothing to this area in terms of infrastructural development. On the other hand the residents of this area which are popularly known as squatters are mindful of the fact that if the government intervenes, they might be rendered homeless since this had happened before in the case of Ndoki Waterfront, Marine base And Aggrey road Waterfront.