The Other Side of Life in Slums

Abstract

In spite of obvious social and infrastructural inadequacies in terms of lack of sufficient housing facilities, good roads, schools etc., there is ample evidence to suggest that a significant number of slum dwellers, may never contemplate life outside the slums. This perhaps not only explains the rising number of slums but also their ever increasing population especially in Lagos, where at the moment, there may be over fifty slums. What this also shows is that in spite of its inadequacies, life inside the slums has its own attractions, hence the paper argues that rather than seeking to eradicate slums completely, relevant authorities may perhaps, achieve more by regulating activities within these slums especially by ensuring that they improve on the living conditions of slum dwellers.