By Afolabi Aribigbola
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In 1985, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) announced its decision to declare and celebrate World Habitat Day (WHD) on the first Monday of October annually. Since this pronouncement, the day has been celebrated every year in several countries including Nigeria. The issue of concern that actually motivated this write up is to bring out the effects of the celebration in Nigeria so as to be able to suggest how to maximize its benefits, promote the growth and development of Nigeria’s cities that are in crisis.
Following from the above, the 2021 World Habitat Day was celebrated on Monday, October 4 in all parts of the world including Nigeria with fanfare as the usual practice in recent years. The focus or theme for this year World Habitat Day was “Accelerating urban action for a carbon-free world”.
The theme was chosen because it has been found out that cities are responsible for almost 70 percent of global carbon dioxide emission with transport, buildings, energy, and waste management accounting for the bulk of urban greenhouse gas emission. In addition, we must come to the realization that the future of our planet depends on national, regional and local governments and organizations, communities, academic institutions, the private sector and all relevant stakeholders working together to create sustainable, carbon-neutral, inclusive cities and towns.
In a nutshell, the world habitation celebration was instituted to raise public awareness about the precarious and poor living conditions of people globally and especially in developing societies of Africa, Asia and Latin America by raising awareness and to create opportunities for improving the living environment of people and by extension human lives. Habitat has been described as where an organism lives or occupies, or the home ground. In context of human being, it refers to the home environment.
The habitat or housing of people is very important to their heath and prosperity. Next to food, the home environment is the most important need of man. This is why people in all their lives struggle to own a house. Recognizing the role and importance of housing the world community, the UN devoted a day for the purpose of raising awareness about the living conditions of people and to draw global attention to improving it. Suffice to say that habitat of man is very essential and must receive very robust, required attention. The main element or components of habitat are shelter, water, food and space.
Beyond the annual rituals of public lecture and rhetoric that usually accompanied the celebration of World Habitat Day, what does this annual ritual portends for Nigeria? In what ways has it informed public policy and programmes outcome in the country? And how can national, state and local governments contribute to housing development in general and eliminating or reducing carbon dioxide emission that is the focus of action this year?
It is essential because while other prosperous societies have reduced hosing problems significantly, and are dissipating efforts at reducing carbon dioxide emission, we are busy escalating these obnoxious gases to societies. Nigeria and Nigerians must wake up to the challenges of modern times. Indeed, one of the most important gains or benefits of World Habitat Day is that it has assisted in drawing attention to the lack of housing and inadequate shelter issues. In the case of Nigeria, many people do not have adequate housing and more live in poor accommodation that is not fit for human habitation It has really assisted in directing and redirecting policy efforts and actions at tackling housing shortages in the country, notwithstanding the fact that the efforts have been very low and far between in the country.
The key message of the 2021 celebrations is to refocus world attention to the fight against climate change, which presents the single biggest threat to sustainable development. This is because the war will be won or lost in cities and towns due to concentrations of more people and resources in the city. Also, the future of the planet depends on the collective action of governments, cities and communities. Cities are on the front line of climate change impact and must be at the heart of climate action.
The need to inspire local climate action based on scientific research and business engagement becomes indispensable. Therefore, it is being suggested that cities, as hubs of resilience and human ingenuity, must take bold action to become zero-carbon, climate resilient and socially-just places to live, work and play. The 2021 celebration has helped to focus and refocus human attention to climate change issue that is one of the serious current global problems. It is equally helping to amplify the global Race to Zero Campaign and UN-Habitat’s ClimateAction4Cities and encourage local governments to develop actionable zero-carbon plans in the run up to the international climate change summit COP26 in November.
As earlier indicated, World Habitat Day is the UN initiative and it is aimed at promoting the basic right to adequate shelter as well as housing for everyone in the world. Through the efforts and support UN-Habitat, attempts have been made worldwide to solve the housing shortages and inadequate housing facilities such as potable water supply, power, access roads and other basic facilities and services that makes for good living. In Nigeria, in the past this has resulted in several housing programmes and policies enunciated to make housing available to Nigerians. In addition, slogans such as housing for all in the years 2000 and affordable housing provision have helped to direct policy efforts and actions to address gross housing shortages in the country.
The articulation of national housing policies is some of the outcomes of these efforts. Added to this is the fact that the housing situations have received better attentions and development efforts. Creation of awareness of the need to improve housing environment of people is a major benefit of the World Habitat Day. Every year efforts are made to raise the precarious housing conditions of Nigerians with a view to finding solution to them. In a nutshell, it has boosted information about housing conditions and the drive to end lack of housing or shelter issues.
In general, and from global perspectives, while World Habitat Day have helped tremendously to arose interest and actions in addressing lack of housing and shelter issues globally, the impact in Nigeria have not been very encouraging. This is because the country is still confronted with serious housing shortages and inadequacies of basic infrastructure and services particularly in the cities. Bedsides the efforts of professionals in the building environment, various governments at federal, states and local government levels have not shown much interest in the World Habitat Day celebration and neither have they muster sufficient interest and resources to address the hydra headed problems of housing provision as suggested by UN-Habitat and United Nations. Thus, housing shortages, poor quality housing, lack of facilities and affordability problems among others still pervade the national landscape of the country.
A major lesson learnt from 2021 celebration is that nearly 70 percent of global carbon dioxide emission come from the cities, with vehicles, buildings and waste management being among the biggest contributors. This year’s celebration highlighted the danger of increasing carbon dioxide emission to human health and the need for concerted efforts to reduce the present level of emissions from the cities. What this understanding suggest is the need to take planning and building of Nigerian cities better and to introduce policies that will help to drastically reduce carbon dioxide emission. Of course, this requires less use of motor vehicles, buildings, proper and better management of wastes. A situation where improperly disposed wastes litter the streets of our cities cannot make for sustainable development.
Government at all levels must show more interest in planning and management of Nigerian cities. At present, there are no up-to-date and consciously prepared plans to control and guide city development in virtually all parts of the country. Nigerian cities are growing haphazardly without guidance, and lack the basic facilities and services that make for good quality of life. If Nigeria must complete and develop along others, the dangerous trend of allowing cities to grow without plans must be redressed. Otherwise, we shall be leaving our cities to the whims and caprices of market forces that have been found incapable of allocating land in efficient ways.