Drivers of Residential Location in Suburban Areas of Lokoja, Nigeria

This paper examined the motivation for residential location in the suburbs of Lokoja, Nigeria. Three major suburban settlements of Ganaja, Felele and Zango were selected for this study. An inventory of residential development within the last ten years was made through a questionnaire survey of one hundred and forty-five households in the three sampled suburbs. Data were obtained on the socio-economic status of the residents, driving forces for location in the suburbs, and the characteristics of facilities. The study used both descriptive and inferential statistics, which revealed that a significant number of those who lived in the suburbs were of mixed social and economic status, constituting 49% and 51% for low - and middle-income groups respectively. The majority of the residents in the suburbs (79%) once lived in the adjacent urban area and moved to the suburbs within the last ten years. Results of the Relative Importance Indices (RII) indicated that homeownership was the most important reason given for location in the area. Furthermore, insufficient infrastructure and their performance constituted sources of dissatisfaction in the area. The ANOVA test revealed that the level of satisfaction with the performance of the facilities does not significantly vary across the suburbs of Lokoja. the study recommends that the government should implement a housing policy that will stimulate the easy house ownership for the residents of urban areas.