ABSTRACT
This study was intended to examine the effect
of building material cost on housing development in Nigeria.
This study was guided by the following objectives; To
determine the factors responsible for high cost of building materials in
Nigeria, To proffer solutions that will reduce the cost of building material to
ensure adequate housing development in Nigeria.
The study employed the survey and explanatory
design; questionnaires and interview in addition to library research were
applied in order to collect data. Primary data sources were used and data was
analyzed using the correlation statistical tool at 5% level of significance
which was presented in frequency tables and percentage. The respondents under
the study were 50 civil
engineers and quantity surveyors in Imo State. The study
findings revealed that The cost of building materials is on
the high side. The cost of building materials has everything to do housing
development in Nigeria. Housing development can influence the economy of
Nigeria.
The results of this study will sensitize the
policy makers and the government on the need to make and implement policies
that will reduce the cost of building materials in Nigeria thereby encouraging
massive housing development all over the country.
TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Title Page - - - - - - - - - i
Approval Page - - - - - - - - ii
Declaration - - - - - - - - iii
Dedication - - - - - - - - - iv
Acknowledgement - - - - - - - v
Abstract - - - - - - - - - vi
Table of Contents - - - - - - - vii
CHAPTER
ONE – INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study - - - - -
1.2 Statement of General Problem - - - -
1.3 Objective of the Study - - - - - -
1.4 Research Questions - - - - - -
1.5 Hypothesis
- - -
- - -
- - -
1.6 Significance of the Study - - - - -
1.7 Scope of the Study - - - - - -
1.8 Definition of Terms - - - - - -
CHAPTER
TWO – REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.1Introduction - - - - - - - - -
2.2
Overview of construction industry of Nigeria - - -
2.3 Factors affecting the cost of
building materials - - -
2.4 Implications of rising in the
cost of building materials- -
2.4.1 Fluctuation in construction
costs- - - - - -
2.4.2 Quality of workmanship is
affected- - - - - -
2.4.5 Risk of project abandonment- - - - - - -
2.4.6 Volume of construction
output is affected- - - -
2.4.7 Rate of employment is
affected- - - - - -
2.5
Housing development in Nigeria- - - - - - -
2.6 Increasing building materials costs: causes and
effects- -
2.7 benefits of sustainable building materials in
housing development- - - - - - - - - - - -
2.8 empirical review- - - - - - - - - -
CHAPTER
THREE – RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Introduction - - - - - - - - -
3.2 Research Design - - - - - - - -
3.3 Area of the Study - - - - - - - -
3.4 Population of Study - - - - - - - -
3.5 Sample size and Sampling Techniques - - - - -
3.6 Instrument for Data Collection - - - - - -
3.7 Validity of the Instrument - - - - - - -
3.8 Reliability of the Instrument - - - - - -
3.9 Method of Data Collection - - - - - - -
3.10 Method of Data Analysis - - - - - - -
CHAPTER
FOUR – DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
4.0 Introduction - - - - - - - - -
4.1 Data Presentation and Analysis - - - - - -
4.2 Characteristics of the Respondents - - - - -
4.3 Data
Analysis - - - - - - - - -
4.4 Testing Hypothesis - - - - - - - -
4.5 Summary
of Findings - - - - - - - -
4.6 Discussion of Findings - - - - - - -
CHAPTER
FIVE – SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.0 Introduction - - - - - - - - -
5.1 Summary - - - - - - - - - -
5.2 Conclusion - - - - - - - - - -
5.3 Recommendations - - - - - - - -
References
- - - - - - - - - -
Appendix - - - - - - - - - -
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Researchers in building sector have indicated that
between 50 to 60 per cent of the total construction input goes into building
materials. As a result, there is an urgent need to address the high cost of
these products which is said to have slowed down the growth of the building and
construction sector in Nigeria.Building materials constitute the
largest single input in housing construction. While Adedeji(2010) observed that
about sixty (60) per cent of the total housing expenditure goes for the
purchase of building materials, Arayela(2005) averred that the cost of building
materials constitute about 65 percent of the construction cost.
Ogunsemi (2010)
opined that building materials formthe main factors that restricts the supply
of housing andascertained that they account for between 50-60 percentof the
cost of buildings. Thus, Adedeji (2002) rightly observed that one main barrier
to the realization of effective housing in Nigeria as revealed in successive
government efforts has been the cost of housing in the country. He argued that
in the early periods, shelter in Nigeria was easily affordable as building
materials were sourced from the immediate environment at affordable costs.
Technology also was readily available withcommensurate simple techniques. But
contact with the outside world through interregional and international training
of professionals in foreign countries as occasioned by colonization, brought
changes to tastes and hence outlook to house forms. These changes rendered the
undeveloped local building materials inadequate while there was an increased
demand for exotic ones. Accordingly, Arayela (2002) posited that the modern
building industry lays much emphasis on sophisticated building materials and techniques
that are expensive and energy consuming. Though, housing delivery efforts have
evidently been inhibited by prohibitive costs of building materials,this
problem cannot be reasonably and reliably overcome by merely resorting to the
use of locally available materials without due considerations to the applicable
initiative, the cost of processing and sustainability of the local materials.
One of the most important components of asustainable building is the material
efficiency. Correct selection of building materials can be performed by taking
into account their complete life span and by choosing products with the minimal
environmental impacts. For instance, González and Navarro (2006) estimated that
the selection of building materials with low environmental impacts can reduce
carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by up to 30%. The use of renewable and recycled
sources is widely encouraged as the life-cycle of a building and its elements
can be closed (Chwieduk, 2003). The major factor that greatly affectthe selection
of building materials are their costs and social requirements such as thermal
comfort, good mechanical properties (strength and durability), aesthetic
characteristics and an ability to construct quickly. Ideally, the combination
of all environmental, economic and social factors can give a clear description
of a material, and thus helps in a decision making process regarding the cost
of the materials suitable for buildings (Abeysundara, et, al.,2009)
. Nigerians
would continue to pay more for accommodation in major cities until the cost of
building materials is subsidized through probably through tax reduction.
The instability in the price of building materials was posited as a direct
result of high taxes which in turn impacts on the cost of accommodation in
major cities across the country.According to Arayela (2002), many
completed housing estates had remained unoccupied because of the high rental
and sale prices attached to them as against the meager income of the
average Nigerian workers. He also added that if government can revitalise our
industrial base, the cost of building materials will come down and many more
people would be able to build houses.He therefore urged the Federal
Government to provide tax relief for local manufacturers and importers of
building materials in order to reduce the high cost of accommodation in major
cities.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Building
materials have been playing an important role in the construction industry—they
are those materials put together in erecting or constructing structures, no
field of engineering is conceivable without their use (Akanni,
2006;Udosen&Akanni, 2010). Building materials contribute immensely to the
quality and cost of housing, from what issued in the foundation to the
materials for roofing and finishes, while the building materials industry is an
important contributor to the national economy of any nation as its output governs
both the rate and the quality of construction work.
The
cost of building materials poses a significant threat toboth the construction
industry and people aspiring to ownhouses (Anosike, 2009; Mekson, 2008;
Mohammed, 2008;Njoku, 2007); for example, a bag of cement, which is valuedat
Ν1,350.00 in 2006, goes as high as Ν1,850.00 in 2009(Anosike, 2009) depicting
about 37% increment; the bag goes as high as Ν2,000.00 in 2015 during peak
season (field survey 2015). Supporting this view, Jagboro and Owoeye(2004)
earlier established that increase in the prices of building materials has
multiplier effects on housing development while Idoro and Jolaiya (2010)
affirmed that many projects were not completed on time due to the cost of
materials, which have been on the increase. Besides timely completion, high prices
of building materials form a crucial constraint to improving housing conditions
in Nigeria (United Nations Centre for Human Settlement [UNCHS], 1993).
In
spite of the past studies on the cost of building materials in Nigeria, little
is publicized about the implications of the rise in cost on the construction
industry; most literature(Jagboro&Owoeye, 2004; Mekson, 2008; Njoku,
2007;Oladipo& Oni, 2012) has concentrated on identifying the causes with
little emphasis on the implications; hence, the research seeks to provide
information on the effect of cost of building materials on housing development
in Nigeria.
1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The following are the objectives of this study:
1. To
examine the effect of building materials cost on housing development in
Nigeria.
2. To
determine the factors responsible for high cost of building materials in
Nigeria.
3. To
proffer solutions that will reduce the cost of building material to ensure
adequate housing development in Nigeria.
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What
is the effect of building materials cost on housing development in Nigeria?
2. What
are the factors responsible for high cost of building materials in Nigeria?
3. What
are the solutions that can reduce the cost of building material to ensure
adequate housing development in Nigeria?
1.5 HYPOTHESIS
HO: Cost of building materials does not
affect housing development in Nigeria.
HA: Cost of building materials does
affect housing development in Nigeria.
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The following are the significance of this study:
1. Findings
from this study will educate the general public on the current market cost of
building materials in Nigeria and its effect on sustainable housing development
in Nigeria.
2. The
results of this study will sensitize the policy makers and the government on
the need to make and implement policies that will reduce the cost of building
materials in Nigeria thereby encouraging massive housing development all over
the country.
3. This
research will also serve as a resource base to other scholars and researchers
interested in carrying out further research in this field subsequently, if
applied will go to an extent to provide new explanation to the topic.
1.7 SCOPE/LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
This study on the effect of building materials
cost on housing development in Nigeria will cover the current prices of
building material in Nigeria focusing on how it has influenced the provision of
affordable housing for the Nigerian populace.
LIMITATION OF STUDY
Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the
efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature
or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire
and interview).
Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously
engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down
on the time devoted for the research work.
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YMD (2010). Technology and standardised composite cementfibres for housing in
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D (2003). Towards sustainable-energy buildings. Appl.Energy, 76: 211-217.
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DR (2010). The use of enough quality and quantity materialsfor building a
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