CHALLENGES OF URBANIZATION IN POST-COLONIAL OGBOMOSO, 1990-2019

Abstract

Since the end of the Second World War, shift and changing nature of socio-economic conditions have helped to create new processes of urbanization in Nigeria. For many years, the focus of urban scholarship in Nigeria has largely focussed on rural-urban migration with less attention paid to urban studies and its multidisciplinary approaches. Since the issue of urban definition with its challenges is inconclusive, this paper, therefore seeks to examine urbanization process in Ogbomoso and socio-economic transformation that characterised its development. This paper attempts an in-depth analysis of trends and challenges of urban growth in Ogbomoso metropolis. Historical analytical method is employed to address the kernel of this work. The study employs primary and secondary data to elicit information. The primary sources include structured questionnaires and in-depth interviews with purposively selected key informants. Secondary data is sourced through textbooks and journals articles to complement the primary data utilized. Data collected is analysed using descriptive and content analysis. The growth of cities such as Ogbomoso in postcolonial Nigeria is attributed to a combination of factors such as employment, security and adequate social facilities that include education, housing, transportation, communication and health. This paper argues that Ogbomoso faces challenges of spontaneous urbanization which includes population surge and insecurity. Through spatial expansion, Ogbomoso absorbs the adjoining rural areas. The study reveals that urban growth has subsequently increased pressure on existing or unavailable job opportunities, insecurity and infrastructural facilities, thereby leading to migration, poverty, unemployment and increase in crime. The concentration of social facilities in Ogbomoso has equally encouraged the exodus of migrants with diverse cultural affinities and such a trend led to significant demographic changes in Ogbomoso.