“Presumed urbanization”: The experiences of Onitsha city slums dwellers

Abstract Onitsha urban was carefully planned with the environment contours in mind. Areas of recreation, schools, hospitals, government offices and residential quarters were well provided. However, after the Nigeria-Biafra war, the urban planning became bastardized. People began to erect shacks in waterways blocking drainage systems with little official rebuke. Gradually, the beautiful city degenerated into big slums. This unchecked “subsequent” development of the city away from its original purview is the crux of this research. This study examines the lived experiences of the people in these slums, the effect on children, the urban city, as well as the challenges posed by climate change. Investigations revealed a paradigm shift in the popular narratives that poverty, cheap house rents, unemployment and low-income earning are the reasons a large number of people live in slums. The findings from the study were drawn through the use of the qualitative and quantitative method of historical inquiry while Onitsha served as the study area, as the study strived to address the unsustainable urban development in Nigeria. Research designs such as case study, cross-sectional design, survey design, experimental and descriptive designs were used for the interpretation of the questionnaires and the findings of the research. The individual/opportunity nexus theory of migration by Shane and Venkataraman complemented by Stokes theory of slums were used in this research. This paper concludes that an effective urban planning and low-cost housing estate should be factored in during constructions in Onitsha Nigeria just like in other parts of Asian and European countries. This is to forestall the environmental degradation that could lead to health crisis and reclaim the city from falling irredeemably into a huge ghetto.