CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Right from time, food, clothing and shelter have been the three most basic requirement of man of all these three requirements food and clothing are the two, which influence man’s life more than the house in which he seeks shelter, security comfort and dignity. It is infact where man starts and ends his dairy activities.
Housing is mainly the most import factors which determine the nature and form of urban settlements and the quality of human existence is directly related to it:
Housing: Is defined by Oyeyipo (1980) to mean, the provision of any form of structure, erection of building which is man made for the purpose of accommodating a person or person by talking housing to mean only shelter the definition appears defective as it ignores all those infrastructure facilities which housing brings along with it.
The world health organization committee on housing defines it as “the physical structure than uses for shelter including equipment and devices needed for physical and social well being of the occupant” 2 such equipment and devices include utilities and services like electricity, water supply, good access roads sewage and refuse damp facilities.
The fact remains that Port Harcourt metropolis has been the administrative centre for the then eastern region,
Port Harcourt metropolis is occupied mainly by government workers with low income. This position makes it difficult for them to afford the high cost of developing housing estates for their use. They therefore resort to borrowing from both formal and informal sources in other to find money for housing development and also Port Harcourt metropolis is made up of river line area, swamp ground.