Tourism Participation: Attractions, Influences and Key Trends in Ekiti State, Nigeria

The heart of this research is concerned with the level of participation intourism activities in Ekiti State, Nigeria. The broad objectives of the study are to appraise the tourism potentials of the state vis-à-vis the level of patronage and the influences on the choice of attraction, as well as the constraints to tourism development. The research methods include indept fieldwork, observation, participation, focus group discussions and interviews. The research instrument is questionnaire administration with the aid of stratified random sampling technique. Findings from the study revealed that the natural and man-made potentials for recreation and tourism in Ekiti State are multi-various. In spite of this, the level of tourism development is very low, and thus the level of participation in domestic tourism is equally very low. To this end, the research recommends that all the stakeholders in the tourism industry should formulate and implement development master plan and policy for sustainable tourism in the state. On this note, the report would undoubtedly be of interest and value to researchers, tourists, evaluators, government and those planning new initiatives for the development of recreation and tourism.Key Words: Attraction, Influences, Participation, Recreation, Touris

The Nigerian National Housing Policy in Perspective: A Critical Analysis

Challenges of housing in terms of quality and quantity appear to be the same all over the world. The needy have less access to housing while the less needy have greater chances of accessing housing. In Nigeria, housing is generally inadequate in the rural areas in terms of quality, while the major problem in urban areas is more of quantity, although quantity is also an issue. The shortage of housing is one of the factors responsible for the poor environmental quality across Nigeria. In 1991, the national housing policy was promulgated in order to propose possible solutions to the housing problems in Nigeria. Twenty years on, millions of Nigerians are still homeless while many others are living in indecent houses. The paper examines the nature and extent of the housing problem in Nigeria in the context of the National Housing Policy. The paper identifies as the major challenges, poor implementation, corruption, bureaucracy and political instability. It recommends housing finance, cooperatives, use of local building materials, development of infrastructure, policy implementation and review of the housing policy as possible solutions to the housing problem in Nigeria