Abstract
The percentage of people living in urban areas compared with those in the rural counterparts is on the increase in Nigeria. This astronomical growth has been largely attributed to the ineffectiveness of the various rural development strategies being introduced by successive governments with a bid to improve living conditions of the rural populace thus, encouraging mass influx of people into few cities in the country. The creation of state capitals and local government headquarters compounds the problem of inflow of people and apparently seemed to have adverse effects on orderliness and healthy urban environment. The study aimed at examining the influence of urban-ward migration on the residential sector of Ilorin, capital city of Kwara State, Nigeria. The sample size was 60 consisting of upper, middle and lower income groups. In this study, the household constitutes the unit of observation. Data was derived from residents by adopting a combination of systematic and stratified sampling techniques in the administration of questionnaire which was the main research instrument. One made use of descriptive statistics to analyse the data. The study showed that urban-ward migration has perpetuated high room occupancy ratio as evidenced in Okelele (1:3.60); Agbooba (1:3.40) and government reservation area (GRA) has the least (1:1.47). The ratio of household per room is high in Gaa Akanbi (1:4.80), (1:3.40 and Oko-erin ((1:3.30). As regards inter-house spacing, the buildings that are at close range 0-5 metres apart are Molete (86.2%), Surulere (54.5%) and Okealuko (77.3%) areas. Indeed, few buildings are found within a range of 11-15 metres apart except for Okealuko (4.5%) and none in Molete area. The housing facilities are generally inadequate except for pit latrine in Molete (53.3%) and sewage disposal in Surulere area (45.5%). There is emergence of sub-standard houses and slums in Oke-aluko, Molete and Okelele areas. On the basis of the findings, one recommends among other things, government should make concerted efforts through relevant agencies such as Kwara State Town Planning Authority (KSTPA), and the city municipal council towards effective physical planning of the residential units not only in the study area but also master-plan for the entire country at large. Moreover, the government can embark upon building of low cost houses for the low income earners and possibly introduce resettlement scheme with a view to putting a lasting solution to urban housing congestion.